As the stands roar and whistles blow, fans yell out for their respective schools, drowning out the opposing student section during a Sixth Street game. For years, the energy between the rivals has been undeniable, yet one thing has been missing: a 5C cheer team.
This year, Regan Cooper PO ’29 and Adelina Grotenhuis PO ’28 are paving the way to ignite the Claremont sports scene.
Both Cooper and Grotenhuis have long had a passion for cheer. Now, at Claremont, they aim to bring their past positive experiences in the sport to students through the launch of the 5C Cheer Team.
“I started cheer in middle school and did it throughout high school,” Grotenhuis said. “I really enjoyed cheering at the games and doing assemblies, and I now work for UCA [Universal Cheerleaders Association]. I’m really happy that now I get to give back to the community and sport.”
According to Grotenhuis, in addition to appearances at student events across the 5Cs, such as admitted students day, the team has its sights set on the most competitive sporting events of the year.
“We really want to focus on raising school spirit, so definitely cheering at games, trying to get more people to come support our sports,” Grotenhuis said. “In our divisions, we win championships, so there’s no reason that we shouldn’t be supporting them.”
Prospective members of the cheer team also stressed the importance of the team’s community and inclusivity. Kate Schitzgebel SC ’29 expressed her excitement about the group’s openness.
“For the other dance team [5C Dance Company], I feel like it’s mostly really competitive and the auditions can be really scary for people, so I think having an open cheer team is a great idea for people who are scared of auditions or just want to get into dance in general,” Schitzgebel said.
To Grotenhuis, inclusivity is what she hopes defines the team culture.
“I know that cheerleading can be traditionally seen as something exclusive, but we really want to open it to everyone and give everyone an opportunity to have a bunch of fun,” Grotenhuis said. “So we’re looking to be really inclusive and to build a supportive community.”
With two founding captains and nearly 40 members who indicated interest in joining the team, the first stage of recruitment has already begun, with representation across the 5Cs.
“Our vision is to have two different uniforms, one for [Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS)] and one for Pomona-Pitzer (P-P),” Cooper said. “That way, we could save money and be more efficient by cheering at the home games and alternating between sports and schools.”
For them, the distinction is not just additional logistics, but the continuation of a mission to represent the fostering bond between P-P and CMS.
“We felt that Pomona-Pitzer was lacking in school spirit, though in the past, there’s been a lot of unity between Pomona-Pitzer and CMS,” Cooper said. “But right now, it’s not as unified and spirited. We hope to bring more people out to the games in general to get the community together out of their individual campuses and join forces.”
The challenge now is to find the institutional support to make those ideas a reality, starting with outreach for membership and training, as well as additional funding for team practices and equipment.
“We’ve been getting the word out in different ways, and from there, we’re really hoping to secure funding from the schools,” Grotenhuis said. “We’re mainly looking into the admissions and marketing departments to try to get funding there. And once we have the people and we have the funding, we can go from there.”
Despite these initial hurdles, the team is well on their way to start up the club as soon as next semester. For the founders, cheer aligns perfectly with the core values of the 5Cs.
“To me, cheer means a lot of things,” Grotenhuis said. “It’s a sport, it’s a community, but at the end of it all, it’s a chance to support the people around you.”
The team hopes to start practice soon, working toward cheering in games and at events at the start of the next semester.
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