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Cheerleading – I bet most of you associate it with a bunch of girls dancing around and waving pompoms. To be fair, Cheerleading is not a very popular sport in Germany so when I joined the team at the beginning of my studies I didn’t really know what to expect either – well except for the pompoms.
I soon learned that the team competes twice a year at major sports events for European business schools and that the routine is composed of much more than just dancing – there are also stunts and pyramids involved as well as some tumbling. And therefore, the team does not consist of just girls either; it’s in fact 50% guys. Sure, when you ask a guy to join a cheerleading team, most of them aren’t too excited. But once you show them it actually involves lifting girls above their heads and throwing them in the air – and the amount of strength and technique that is involved – their initial reaction usually changes. That’s why there are now just as many motivated male cheerleaders as there are female cheerleaders.
After joining the team in my first semester, I became head of the initiative with my friend Anja. Together, we have been responsible for the design of our new uniforms and bows and most importantly the choreographies we performed in competitions. Looking back at the past two years of doing so, it’s safe to say that it’s been a process of constant improvement, which has been rewarded by winning two trophies in the past year.
But it’s not just the level of skill that’s required or the fact that we won a trophy which makes cheerleading at FS such a rewarding experience. In fact, whether or not you win a trophy soon becomes a minor concern.
First of all, the fact that you’re constantly relying on your stunt partners to be thrown and more importantly caught creates a special kind of trust and bond in the team. Preparing for the performance also requires lots and lots of practice and apart from that we try our best to organize some team events outside of practice every semester. All this time spent working together toward the same goal really makes the team grow together.
Therefore, FS Cheerleading has –for me- been the greatest way to become close friends with many people across all concentrations and intakes at Frankfurt School – just because you work together so much more closely than in many other initiatives.
As Head, you also get to collaborate with many other initiatives and FS Staff, so it is in general just an awesome way to get involved in student life at Frankfurt School.
On top of that, Cheerleading is just a great opportunity to represent Frankfurt School on the outside and really experience true FSpirit. After all, you get to go to events such as WHU Euromasters, RoyalsCup in Maastricht and ChampionsTrophy in Hamburg – not only to compete but also to cheer on all the other sports teams and well, maybe wave your pompoms a little, too.
Frankfurt School gGmbH
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
