Cheerleaders from across Illinois look forward to one of the biggest summer traditions in the sport; UCA Cheer Camp. For some, it’s the beginning of their high school cheer journey, while for others, it’s the last time they’ll take part in this unique and wild experience. Highlighting the camp experience through different lenses, senior Malaysia Arrington and freshmen Bernadette Aoci share their insights on how UCA camp truly is.
UCA camp is really a time where cheerleaders come together for a common goal- to win the inflatable banana, which symbolizes the overall trophy for the camp. But cheerleading is more than just shaking poms and looking cute in a uniform, cheerleading is truly hard work and something worth fighting for, especially when it comes to camp. Although it sounds like a breeze, dealing with UCA doesn’t come easy, cheering from day to night comes with a lot of work, dedication, and skill. Malaysia explains this well by saying, “Energy, determination and drive, I feel like if you don’t have any of those things, it’s easy to get discouraged. ” Therefore, the cheerleaders have to work hard each day to make sure they are at their best during their time.
Whether just stepping onto the mat as a freshmen, or stepping off for the last time as a senior, UCA is something to be excited about. Being a freshmen, or someone new to the camp can be intimidating, with the new environment, new people, and plenty of new cheers and dances to learn. But, as Malaysia says, “Don’t be afraid. I would be more afraid if I was just standing there instead of doing what everyone else is doing.” But even the freshmen eventually catch on and learn what they need to do to be the “top banana”. Despite the funny name, being top banana means more than it sounds. Being top banana means that one team has shown the most excellence, passion, drive, and commitment all throughout the days of camp. Therefore, being top banana means that one cheerleading team was the best! In the time it takes to learn to be the best, cheerleaders learn a lot of other skills, Bernadette has learned to “be a little more tighter and show more expression” during her time at camp. UCA is essentially a time for cheerleaders to find who they are as an athlete and obtain new skills.
UCA isn’t just a place full of hard work and competition. Camp is a time where the teams have to come together and work towards the same goal. This means getting to know different team members better, or talking to someone new. UCA is the perfect place to team bond because it gives athletes a chance to work together more than usual. “I got to know every Rocky cheerleader during camp to build a bond with a lot of people,” says Bernadette. Even as a senior, UCA brings the varsity team together, as well. Every year, the teams aren’t the same, meaning, sometimes there’s people that have never been on the same team together. Being at camp gives the cheerleaders the opportunity to work together and learn about each other more in the process. “It made us like a sisterhood/ brotherhood. I feel like we’re a lot closer and now we’re not like, walking on eggshells around each other,” Malaysia explains.
With another great year of UCA camp coming to an end, the Rock Island High School cheerleaders have surely left their mark.
