UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 3, Page 9
September 14, 1995
More than spirit alone; Cheerleading, dance require strenuous practice

     Fightin' Blue Hen fans appreciate the UD cheerleaders and members
of the Precision Dance Team for their strength, agility, grace and
spirit, but they may not know of the students' intensive behind-the-
scenes preparation.
     Both cheerleading and precision dance are considered varsity-
level activities, according to fitness coordinator Leanne Higgins, who
is the cheerleading coach and adviser to the Precision Dance Team. The
dance team, which last year celebrated its 10th anniversary, is
coached by Ann Marie Parisi.
     Team members represent a cross section of majors, including
elementary education, nursing, mechanical engineering, business, pre-
med and biology.
     According to Higgins, there are many benefits to being a team
member.
     "Students gain the ability to work with other individuals from
different backgrounds and to work together as a team," she said. They
also become good time managers, due to the heavy demands on their
schedules. "Being on the team gets them ready for the work world,"
Higgins said.
     "The members also help make the University visible in the
community, conducting clinics and school-spirit seminars at area
junior and senior high schools," Higgins said. On campus,the teams
perform at alumni activities, pep rallies and the start of the United
Way Campaign.
     "I'm very proud of how these students perform," Higgins said. "I
think they do a great job."
     And doing that job is hard work.
     The students follow a strenuous practice schedule, which includes
sprints, push-ups, aerobic activity, weight-lifting and long periods
of stretching, Higgins said.
     Although the dance team and the cheerleaders practice at
different times, their sessions occasionally overlap, Higgins said,
allowing them to work together on certain routines.
     Practice sessions for dancers, which are held five days a week
usually for about two hours each day, stress such skills as jumps,
turns and dance choreography so the students can perform athletic
style dancing to hip-hop, '50s and '60s music, jazz and contemporary
tunes.
     Even before the school year began, the students were at work. In
early August, the dance team attended the Universal Dance Association
camp at Rutgers University, placing fourth overall in a 15-team
competition.
     "The team did very well," Higgins said, "and it's worth noting
that half of the members are freshmen."
     The cheerleaders took part in the Universal Cheerleaders
Association (UCA) camp at East Tennessee State University, placing in
the top 10 in a field of 19 teams.
     "The team wanted to see and compete with the top teams," Higgins
said. "I was very pleased with our performance."
     Making the 30-member cheerleading team, which includes YouDee,
the Fightin' Blue Hen mascot, or the dance team is a competitive
proposition.
     In the junior varsity cheerleading tryouts held Sept. 11, about
75 students vied for 10 openings. The junior varsity trials for the
dance team will take place on Sept. 18. Varsity tryouts are held each
April.
     The next competition on the horizon for the cheerleaders is the
UCA contest on Jan. 5-6, in Orlando, Fla.
     Higgins, who described the competition as a "very intense,
performance-oriented event," said a videotape of the cheerleading team
in action is due Nov. 1, and the cheerleaders will learn later that
month if they will be invited to the competition.
                                                         -Jerry Rhodes