The Few. The Proud. The Dedicated.
By Erin
Three days of the week, I enter the gym prepared for practice. After three grueling hours, I leave the gym exhausted and preoccupied with my workload. I spend two more days a week working out only to be fairly disappointed when the weekend finally arrives. We have dedicated five days and more than twenty hours to preparing for this game, and like every other weekend, Columbia athletic teams lack the support they deserve with few fans gathered to watch the upcoming competition. The ritual becomes frustrating, but our attitudes prevail despite many defeats. Our efforts often go unnoticed and unappreciated as I often wonder if our presence is even felt. Though it often seems as if we are the only sense of genuine school spirit on this campus, we still lack the recognition that we deserve.

We are the Columbia University Cheerleaders.
We are proud. We are few. We are dedicated.

I have spent the last two years dedicated to improving school spirit on this campus. I came to Columbia from a strong cheerleading program and was disappointed with the stigma attached to cheerleading on this campus. I, however, refused to let this stigma dictate my actions or change my goals for the program. In the last year, I have witnessed the program evolve from a campus wide joke to a qualifier for the national [cheerleading] championships – a feat that few teams at Columbia have ever experienced. My commitment to improving school spirit, however, does not end there. As a member of this often misunderstood team, we post fliers around campus for upcoming games, we cheer for all home football and basketball games in addition to attending other supporting events and supporting all athletic teams. Additionally, the cheerleaders partake in a yearlong volunteer project in which we offer cheerleading clinic for deaf students in and around New York City. Though my efforts often go unnoticed, as a member of the cheerleading squad, I am continually making a mark on this community and beyond the gates.