By Marissa Scott — Content Editor
When he’s not projecting spirit into Spartan stands, Cole Haft is projecting his strong sense of passion on those around him.
“When I set my mind to something, it’s hard to get me off track,” the junior said.
The consistent Capricorn makes sure that nothing stands in his way of getting what he wants — that includes his success as a cheerleader.
The Concord, Calif. native was a late bloomer to the cheerleading world.
“I always saw tumbling and I have wanted to do it since I was little,” Haft said. “I was always the kid doing cartwheels in public.”
Growing up, he always loved to tumble and do gymnastics, but he wasn’t introduced into the world of cheer until his sophomore year of high school.
Ever since his group of friends in high school suggested he try out for the squad, he’s been competing.
Haft stumbled upon SJSU’s cheer program on the internet and knew that was where he wanted to continue his tumbling journey.
“I wanted to be on the team because the competition factor and tumbling has always been such a big thing, especially at the collegiate level,” he said. “I always have seen the college athletes and wanted to be like them.”
Going into college as a cheerleader, Haft wasn’t able to elevate a single girl above his head by himself — a move that almost every collegiate male cheerleader has to be able to do.
Capricorns are known to be stubborn in the fact that they achieve anything they set their mind to.
Although Haft doesn’t see himself as being stubborn, he said many of his friends and fellow teammates think he might be.
“He’s even stubborn about thinking he’s not stubborn. I do admire him for it. When he’s passionate about something, little can detour him or stand in his way,” said Ryan Hale, Haft’s teammate. “He gets things done. That’s what makes him such a strong member of our team. If something needs to get done, we can just throw Cole in and it’ll get done.”
His focus and determination are attributes that most of the people in his life can attest to.
Similar to his father, Cole is a very driven, athletic person who gets what he wants because of his hard work and dedication.
“I wouldn’t call it stubborn, I would call it driven,” Steve said. “He is very focused and when he sets his mind on something, he makes sure he does it.”
Haft thinks his stubborn nature isn’t exactly stubbornness either, he believes it has something to do with logistics.
“I don’t see myself as a stubborn person, I see myself more as a logical person,” Haft said. ‘When things don’t make sense to me in a logical way, then I get kind of stubborn, but I wouldn’t say I am stubborn for no reason.”
Another main attribute of a Capricorn is the importance of a strict schedule and structure in life, and the junior is no stranger to that.
He said that in his classes and in cheer, if there is no structure and if it isn’t set up well, it’s usually difficult to take it seriously. A timely schedule helps keep him on track and able to focus on what he needs to.
An attribute that is associated with the zodiac sign is being careful and Haft proves that wrong everyday when he’s on the field or the court.
“I am not very cautious,” he said. “I mean we are all cautious in a way, but when I understand the repercussions of something, I kinda just disregard that in some aspect.”
Being a cheerleader, caution is something that is thrown to the wind when doing stunts and tumbling.
As a male in a female-dominated sport, Haft has been seen as different than many of his fellow teammates in the cheer world.
Although he might have faced some adversity, Haft doesn’t think much about the fact that he is one of a handful of men on his team.
“It’s different being on a co-ed team, especially at the collegiate level, because were the only co-ed team in collegiate sports,” he said. “That part is different and actually pretty cool, I enjoy working with my female counterparts.”
While Cole enjoys working with females, his dad was a bit worried that when he started cheering, he would face some obstacles.
“I did think that he would be judged from a negative perspective, and I was concerned about it,” Steve said. “Cole is the type of person that I know negative stuff wouldn’t affect him. He is one to just shrug it off. His personality is such that he wouldn’t let it affect him in a bad way.”
The Capricorn has made cheerleading his entire life since he was 16 and has never gone back. He now teaches a youth cheerleading team and has found that coaching a cheer team is something he is very
passionate about.
As one of four male cheerleaders on the SJSU team, Haft leaves his positive imprint on the cheer squad and the people in his life.
“Finding something you’re really passionate about is the dopest part,” he said.
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