San Jose State Cheerleaders pumping up 7th Street Plaza ahead of San Jose State football’s game against the University of Nevada on Nov. 6, 2021 at San Jose State University (Photo courtesy of SJSU Cheer)
By Autumn Blue (@AutumnBlue3) — Reporter
There is a team on campus of hard-working driven athletes who are doing more than what meets the eye.
“This is Silicon Valley, you don’t just get athletes but you get athletes that are smart in other things,’ ‘said cheerleading head coach Heather Limosnero. “There’s just more diversity.”
The San Jose State cheerleading team is defying gravity while also making a name for themselves on courts and fields.
The team is not well recognized on campus, sometimes exclusively seen when there is an on-campus event such a football or basketball game.
On the SJSU Athletics official page, the cheerleading team isn’t categorized under “Sports” but rather under the tab “Inside Athletics.”
Sports is defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”
Cheerleading is definitely an activity involving physical exertion and skill. To be able to lift an individual in the air or simply do on-floor tumbling is a skill most lack.
“Before I was a cheerleader, I didn’t think it was a sport,” said junior top Charlene Ho. “I can definitely say that collegiate cheer is a sport. As a collegiate program where we have multiple titles and competitions, we compete almost every year.”
The cheerleading team knows that some people may recognize it as a sport, especially when it comes to their competitive route. However, when fans only see them cheering on the sidelines, they can also understand why people don’t see them as competitors.
“Our basketball Spartan fans see a lot of the skill they do up close and I think their view on our program is a lot different than say our football fans, just because they can see how hard working they are,” Limosnero said.
Limosnero is a SJSU cheerleading alum who came back in 2018 after receiving word that the previous coach was leaving.
“I just felt like it was my responsibility to make sure that the program I used to be a part of, something that kind of shaped me into the person I basically am today, to kind of keep it alive,” said Limosnero. “I really enjoy coaching. Since there wasn’t a coach, I was like ‘well I am gonna coach at San Jose State.’”
“You have to be really smart to be coachable and an athlete with the skills that we do. We have to be hands-on at all times,” said junior co-ed base Andrew Nguyen. “Being able to grow from a program and being able to help all students to be involved, that’s what I look forward to.”
The cheerleading team wants one thing out of the SJSU community.
“A little more support would be really appreciated,” Ho said. “Sometimes I feel like when we compete it is a really big deal for us because we are out there to try and get a title to make our school look good.”
Limonsero believes if there were more competitions then there could possibly be more support from the community, but unlike football and basketball the cheerleading squad doesn’t have scheduled events fans and students can attend.
Moving forward, the cheerleaders would love to see more collaborations with the other teams and more of the other sports’ involvement.
“Since we support the other teams, it would be really fun having people try out what we do,” Ho said. “I feel that will grow our bond too as the athletic community and lessen the divide maybe between cheer and the other sports.”
Cheerleading is more than looking pretty and just entertaining a crowd. These athletes are students who do more than just act as supporters.
It is the job of the Spartan community to make them feel recognized, supported and included in the SJSU athletics department.