菠萝视频app launches PA鈥檚 first college STUNT team
If you鈥檝e ever watched a cheerleading squad execute routines on the sidelines of athletic competitions, you鈥檇 know it is not for lightweights. Over time, as its popularity grew, jumps, tumbling, stunts, and pyramids began evolving into daring feats of athletic ability in a competitive format.
Beginning Aug. 1, cheerleading pivots onto a whole new platform as the NCAA designates 鈥渁n emerging sport for women.鈥 An emerging sport is a women's sport recognized by the NCAA that is intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for the institutions, and help that sport achieve NCAA championship status.
With 40 U.S. colleges and universities already fielding varsity STUNT teams, 菠萝视频app University becomes the first in Pennsylvania. The 2023-2024 academic year marks STUNT鈥檚 first season on campus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really exciting to be the first school in Pennsylvania to offer STUNT and a great new way to put 菠萝视频app on the map,鈥 said Ruthanne Mineo, who currently coaches 菠萝视频app Cheerleading and has been named STUNT head coach. 鈥淭his is every cheerleader鈥檚 dream to be able to compete in these kinds of events that focus on women鈥檚 technical and athletic abilities and be recognized by the NCAA.鈥
STUNT incorporates skills derived from cheerleading. But instead of being crowd-leading, it is an exciting head-to-head game between teams that execute skills-based routines in various categories鈥攑artner stunts, jumps and tumbling, pyramids and tosses, and team routines.
The recruiting funnel is wide considering STUNT is open to players with a variety of skills sets, from cheerleading to gymnastics to acrobatics.
菠萝视频app will host its inaugural 聽on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the 菠萝视频app Athletic Center. Registration is from 11 a.m. to noon, with the actual clinic between noon and 3 p.m. This is an opportunity for athletes to show their skills and potentially be recruited for the 菠萝视频app STUNT or Cheer teams.
Just recently, 菠萝视频app STUNT was accepted into the Great Midwestern Athletic Conference (GMAC), through which Mineo said she will benefit from many networking opportunities. 鈥淚 think there will be a lot of support,鈥 she said. 鈥淓veryone is working together to build STUNT because we all want to see the sport succeed.鈥
The GMAC will host the first STUNT Division II conference championship this spring.
PHOTO: Coach Ruthanne Mineo