UpDate - Vol. 13, No. 6, Page 1
October 7, 1993
New cheerleading coach stresses intense training

     With two first-place awards over the summer, the University of
Delaware cheerleaders began the semester pumped up for another successful
fall season.
     According to Leanne Brown, a fitness leader in Recreation and
Intramural Programs and in her first year as head cheerleading coach, the
squad competed against 16 other schools at Rutgers University in August.
     Lana Arcidiacono, a senior early childhood education major and team
co-captain, called the camp a great experience. "I enjoyed the competition
and knowing that we were one of the best," she said. Arcidiacono, who has
been cheering since third grade, is currently a third-year member of the
Delaware squad.
     Cheerleading takes a "unique sense," Brown said. "Performers must be
athletically inclined and have an enjoyable personality. As a cheerleader,"
she explained, "you're viewed by so many people and are constantly in the
public eye. Cheerleaders act as liaisons between the crowd and the team."
     In addition to the summer training, the team practices throughout the
football and basketball seasons. Excellence in cheerleading requires
exceptional endurance and the ability to perform in an entertaining manner,
Brown said. She has the squad practicing Monday through Thursday, while
lifting twice a week. Each practice involves intense cardiovascular
workouts.
     Tim Ryan, a junior political science major and cheerleading
co-captain, said, "At every touchdown, you must perform. You must maintain
the same energy level from beginning to end." Thanks to the coach's
emphasis on endurance, Ryan said, by the end of the game he is able to
perform the stunts as well as he does before the kickoff.
     In addition to cheering at the football games Saturday afternoons, the
squad performs at many alumni and charitable events, including programs
benefitting the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.
     Last December, the squad accompanied the men's basketball team to
Japan, where the team played an exhibition game. According to Arcidiacono,
"The Japanese crowd was very excited about the cheerleaders. They wanted
autographs and our pictures taken with them."
     Brown's goal is to have cheerleading move far beyond the football
field and basketball court sidelines.
     "Cheerleading is going to become the ambassador for the University of
Delaware. My goal for this squad is to increase its visibility," she said.
     "I'm going to train my team as athletes and bring Delaware
cheerleading to a national level. This team has the capability," Brown 
said.
                                                  -Matthew Beckman