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Cheerleader pair takes national partner stunt title
1:31 p.m., March 7, 2007--UD junior Amanda Cassarino and senior Greg Gilbert are a couple, and they say that, plus their devotion to the sport of cheerleading, is the key to their success. The UD cheerleading pair won the 2007 United Cheerleading Association (UCA) and Universal Dance Association national title in the coed partner stunt competition held at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 14-17. “Greg and I knew the competition was going to be close for first place, so when they announced second place and it wasn't us, we fell to the floor overwhelmed with shock and excitement,” Cassarino said. She lettered in cheerleading at Lacey Township High School in New Jersey, where she was the first cheerleader to make all-state. It was even more significant a win for Gilbert because as a student at Lower Cape May Regional High School in Cape May, N.J., he played football, but he also competed as a cheerleader for an all-star team. In his senior year, some universities tried to recruit him as a football player, others, including UD, as a cheerleader. When he selected UD and cheerleading, his friends and family were astonished, he said. “The competition is the thing that made me love cheerleading, and to win on the national level has been my goal since my freshman year in high school. I personally felt vindicated, ecstatic and relieved all at once,” Gilbert said. UD Head coach Andy Brown, himself a UCA national stunt partner title-holder, described Cassarino and Gilbert's opening stunt. “Greg and Amanda started their routine with her lying flat on the ground. He picked her up and threw her into a back flip landing on one of his hands.” He said their elite stunt began with “Cassarino doing a back flip, Gilbert pops her up, and she lands standing and extended.” To get to nationals, UD's spirit teams competed against cheerleaders, mascots and dancers from across the nation. And while all of UD's spirit teams made impressive showings in Orlando, it was Cassarino and Gilbert who brought home a national title. The couple has been in a relationship since Cassarino's freshman year, and the cheerleading partnership grew from that bond. “We believe we can do anything and have the same views on how to do partner stunts,” Gilbert said. Cassarino agreed, saying, “We have a lot of faith in each other and believe in each other's abilities.”
“We sometimes get frustrated with each other very easily,” Cassarino said. Gilbert recognizes the same flaw in their partnership. “Our relationship sometimes interferes with our stunting because there is a lot of emotion behind what we say and do, and you can upset the other person easier. But in my eyes this is also a strength because we don't hold anything from each other, we say what's on our mind, whether it's good or bad.” They practice six hours a day during the peak of the season and two to three hours a day off-season. And, while they both train, Gilbert's schedule is much more demanding. “I workout five days a week year-round. I like to do power lifting movements in the off-season, like deadlifts, power cleans and squats to build my core and base because obviously this is the base of my stunts,” he said. “As for eating, I eat healthy, but I eat a lot because I like to be a little heavy in-season, I believe that if I'm significantly heavier then the girl I'm lifting, it is easier for me not to move and be solid.” Cassarino, on the other hand, eats “normally” and only works out when her busy academic schedule permits. “It's been tough this year to workout. I have had a busy semester, but when I can, I lift and do a full-body workout. My cardio comes from practice and running the routines. The best way for me to get in shape for cheerleading routines is by running them, full out, over and over,” she said. The harder the stunt, the better Gilbert likes it. “My favorite stunts are anything hard, new or creative. I love anything one-armed. I guess the stunts I don't like are things that aren't challenging or stunts that make Amanda uncomfortable.” Cassarino also likes being creative in their workouts. “I like when we just play around and make up crazy stunts that are fun to do.” But, she said she sometimes gets uncomfortable when Gilbert uses his full strength. “I don't like doing rewinds sometimes because Greg is too strong and powerful.” The couple got a lot of help from Brown, a 2004 graduate of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, who won a UCA national partner stunt title while he was a student there. Brown said the skill displayed by Cassarino and Gilbert is all their own, but his familiarity with the contest allowed him to train them for what the judges are looking for and what mix of stunts it takes to win. Brown said it takes an athlete to accomplish the routines the team uses. “I do believe that cheerleaders are very athletic. We train just like any sport team would--the extra weight training, the conditioning and all the practices and hours we put in to perfecting our skills.” But, he insists, the team's primary goal is to “support all UD athletics and help them by leading the crowd.” Gilbert and Cassarino, said that taking the title was a dream come true. “Being able to achieve a long-term goal is a great feeling, especially when it's something you have dedicated your life to,” Cassarino said. Article by Barbara Garrison
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