Profile
Entering:
Pacing
myself through the black and gold halls full of outstanding academic and
athletic trophies, I made a quick right at the end of the hall and there her
office was. As I walked in she greeted me with a dazzling smile, and on top of
that I received an enormous I miss you hug. I could already tell she was elated
to see me. Her office was as big as a classroom. Lots of round tables and
chairs filled the center of the room. In the corner was a small computer
station which contained about five to six computers at the most. The
rectangular desk set far back in the right hand corner of the room. A massive
number of pens, pencils, papers, folders, and calendars flooded the top of her
desk. Behind it was a pink and green table decorated with little green frogs
and also pictures of her family members, friends, and students. Pink and green?
Yes, she was an Alpha Kappa Alpha of course.
As
she sat at her desk, I immediately pulled a seat from the computer station and
sat down beside her. I didn’t start the interview right away, because we had a
lot of catching up to do. We chatted for a while about unimportant things. She
took me around to introduce me to her coworkers. After that we went back into
the office and it was time to get down to business.
Interview in Progress:
Ms.
Detria Carruth is a hardworking and dedicated women that beginned her
cheerleading experience 6th grade at Amanda Elzy High School in
Greenwood, Mississippi. Her journey as a cheerleader continued all the way up
into her freshman college year at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta
Bena, Mississippi. She became a cheerleading coach at American Way Middle
School in the year of 2005-2006. Her outrageous cheerleading skills lead her
into becoming one of the top cheerleading coaches. Specializing in
choreographing routines, she has grown extensive experience in all areas of
coaching. Detria Carruth is now a parent counselor and a cheerleading coach.
She is a very striving woman that only wants the best out of everyone.
Ms.
Carruth loves the enthusiasm from cheerleaders. They motivate the crowd in
every aspect possible. She has a passion to work with girls that are willing to
improve; that inspire her most. She sees nothing but greatness in all of her
cheerleaders. She explains how being a cheerleader helps you meet new people by
adventuring out to different places. “It’s a big difference in high school and
college cheerleading,” she says. High school cheerleaders usually stay within
their district of cheering. At their football and basketball games there would
be less of a crowd. The practices would likely fit your school schedule. As far
as college cheerleader though, she gave a slight pause and giggled a little,
college cheerleading don’t play games with you. They have larger crowds that
they have to interact with in order to get them to participate. The cheers will
be more on a professional level instead of those little cute baby cheers in
high school. Also, your schedule wouldn’t be as flexible. Papers and homework
due, classes to tend to, and you still have to make time for cheer practice
every day. Just remember, cheerleaders stand out where you can go!
She
continues by adding on the lessons she learned throughout her cheerleading
experience. First things first, cheerleading is a sport and it requires
physical movement in motions. It takes many years and lots of self-reflection
to be an effective coach. It helps gain confidence and teaches you to take your
own route towards life and always be a leader. For some odd reason,
cheerleading made Detria Carruth feel good about herself! “Maybe, she said,
“it’s because cheerleaders play an important role. We always stand with our
heads held high, be strong, and just have a wonderful time. We make new
friends, learn new things, and get to experience a whole new sport which is
awesome.
Being
a woman in her thirty’s, she started to discuss how she stayed in tip top
perfect shape throughout her cheer career. Cheerleaders should always eat
healthy to maintain a good body fit. Good attitude is a most. No one likes
disrespectful and rude cheerleaders. Why? Cheerleaders represent their coaches;
not only their coaches, but themselves and the school as well. Be respectful of
yourself, coaches, and peers. You should stretch everyday all day! Ms. Carruth
stated that stretching helps to improve your flexibility, jumps, and help
prevent injuries. Every cheerleader should have good working habits, stay
focused, and always take advantage. Last but not least, enjoy yourself. Show
your bright smile, show spirit, and show that you actually appreciate being a
cheerleader.
Break:
After
talking for a lengthy period of time, we stopped to go get cold bottled sprites
and a bag of chips from the snack machine in the teachers’ lounge. On the way
to the lounge, we passed so many students and school faculty. Passing all the
younger students made me feel as though I was in high school again. While we
were in there, teachers were coming in from left to right asking a lot of
different questions. After a while, we then returned back into her office and
started the conversation back up.
Detria’s
biggest challenge as a cheerleader was bringing girls up to part and making
them perform at an excellence level. Cheerleaders form relationships among other
girls on the squad. Through hours of practice, winning, and losing cheerleading
help girls’ bond and form long life relationships. It builds school spirit and
a sense of community at school and in their lives. Leaving the ones you spend
most of your time with can be sometimes emotional, especially when you become
really close to them she says. Every year you get new group of females that you
actually have to start all over with. By that I mean get to know them all over
again and cheer with a whole new group. That’s the biggest issue about
cheerleading, but can also be the best because you meet new people.
Cheerleaders
should be positive role models for their school by attaining good grades,
working hard, and making friends not enemies. They should always show school
spirit by dedicating themselves to school events. Most importantly, they must
be responsible for balancing grades, home life, and cheer life. Every
cheerleader must at least maintain a 3.0 GPA. It is an important athletic
program to motivate and promote the team to victory. Their main job is to get
people to cheer at games. Cheerleaders cheer, stunt, tumbling, and jump.
The
most important thing in cheerleading for Ms. Carruth was stunt positions. Flyers
are the presenters; they are the focus of the crowd and there job requires lots
of arm muscles. A back spot is also very important, because they have to lift
and support the flyer by pushing her to get her up. Also, if anything goes
wrong they must catch her. Another important position is the base. They create
a safe place for the flyer to stand on. Stunts can sometimes be very dangerous.
This is one thing that cheerleaders have to practice over and over on a lot.
Practice makes perfect! If they want to go out there on the field or court and
be perfect than they know they’ll have to go the extra mile and put in that
work.
Concluding
the Interview:
Detria
Carruth has taken part in so many cheer experiences. She concludes her
conversation by stating that all females and males have some type of talent.
Whether it’s at home, school, work, or anywhere else she encourages every
female and male to get involved. In cheerleading of course! Go for it! Never be
afraid to try new things. See, its more than just jumping, cheering, and
screaming. “Some people thought cheerleading was just about all fun and game,”
she said. No, the time you spend in cheerleading is crazy. You have hours and hours
of practices, doing fundraisers, pep rallies, competitions, and performances.
You have finances you have to take care of such as: uniforms, shoes, and etc.
You have to set yourself to be a positive role model for others. Also, you have
to work hard. Carruth adds that cheerleading is striving to think and act as
one, but at the end of the day, cheerleading is worth the try!
Overall, cheerleading is a great way to get involved and
interact with a large crowd. Cheering, stunting, tumbling, and jumping are the
main jobs that cheerleaders do. Cheering helps you to become confidence in
yourself. You have to get out in front of an enormous crowd, smile, cheer, and
do everything you possibly can to pep the team up to victory. Forming
relationships can sometimes become a big part of cheering. You have to make
sure to stay fit, maintain a good attitude, and always, always, always stretch.
