76ers vs Magic

On Saturday, April 7th, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. An extremely close game, the Magic ended up going home with the win, with a final score of 88-82. The playoffs are right around the corner, and the Sixers are second place in their division, 31-28, behind the Boston Celtics who are 36-25. Hopefully the Sixers will go on a fascinating winning streak so they can clench a seat in the playoffs. If not, they will just have to wait till next season, which is a usual occurrence for many Philadelphia teams. Although the Sixers lost to the Magic that night, being at the game was amazing. Having seventh row seats added a completely different excitement to the game. The players were so close it was almost like you were on the court. You could yell at them, and know that they can actually hear you. Being so close, I was also able to see famous film director, M.Night Shamalam, director of the Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, the Happening, Signs and many other prestigious films. The game was a lot of fun, with performances from the Sixers cheerleaders, and the spirit squad who performed many elite acrobatic stunts. I have posted video footage and pictures from the game. Hope you enjoy!

Becoming a Cheerleader

Hofstra Cheerleading Time Line of Success

At Hofstra University it’s more than palm palms and fancy chants for the cheerleading team. Hofstra cheerleaders have been nothing but a success, winning seven national championships in the last ten years. Head coach Christine Farina and assistant coach Matt Jones spend several months of hard work developing one routine that will bring home the gold medal. Four consecutive wins in the UCA nationals requires hard work and effort from all team mates.  Players practice up to four days a week during the regular season, and seven days a week during competition season. Cheerleading isn´t just for women here at Hofstra University. Men play a key role in the acrobatic stunts performed throughout the routine. In order to achieve the highest score, Hofstra needs to use their men to perfect difficult stunts.  The team is one of the most successful athletic organizations in the university.

Flag Football at Hofstra University

Every year at Hofstra University various student clubs and organizations participate in the flag football season which begins in early September. Although flag football is a non-contact sport, players are still extremely aggressive. No pads, no helmets just a flag on the waste. After viewing this video one can understand how physical this sport can be. Not only was I involved with the filming of various games, but I also participated on Sigma Alpha Epsilon´s team. I remember going out on the field during a game and blocking the opponent with full power. Sometimes the referee would say, ´´hey you can´t do that,´´ but no penalty was ever issued. Usually the opposing team would get their revenge and answer back with a harder hit. On one occasion one of my team mates blocked a kid so hard that he dislocated opponents shoulder.

Again no penalty, however the referee told my friend to calm down with the hard hits. The game still continued, and we won. One could pose the question, why do the officials allow the sport to get so physical? Why are players getting hurt? With all of the stress from being in college, students are able to come to the fields to take out some of their stress and anger. Personally I believe that playing an extremely physical sport helps relieve some stress and anxiety. Were all in college, we all have stress. What´s wrong with a little rough football?

Our team was fairly successful throughout the course of the season. Winning six games, and losing only one in the regular season, we advanced to the playoffs. I remember the emotional state our team was in before entering the first playoff game. We were arrogant and confident due to the fact that we were so successful during the regular season. We thought we were the most physically dominating team. Unfortunately we were extremely mistaken. Our first playoff game was against a group of veteran football players from the Hofstra football team. They were big, they were fast, they were intimidating. They were collegiate football players. We were a group of college students in a fraternity. After the first quarter we were down by three touchdowns. Not only did we lose the game by five touchdowns and were eliminated from the playoffs, but our team was physically drained and some were even injured. We were physically and mentally outmatched. Flag football is a lot of fun when you win, but getting physically dominated by another team is miserable.

Hofstra University Cheerleading

At Hofstra University its more than palm palms and fancy chants for the cheerleading team. Hofstra cheerleaders have been nothing but a success, winning seven national championships in the last ten years. Head coach Christine Farina and assistant coach Matt Jones spend several months of hard work developing one routine that will bring them yet again another national title. Winning the national championship the last four years in a row isn't a walk in the park for the Hofstra cheerleaders. Cheerleaders practice up to four times a week during the regular season, and seven days a week during competition season. Head coach Christine uses the motto "believe" to keep her team going during rough times. After year of practice, Hofstra only has one shot on the mat to prove themselves to the judges. One mistake could ruin their chances of winning.

Many people aren't aware of the difficulty that arises from cheerleading. It's not like middle school where the cheerleaders are on the sidelines chanting cheers and waving their palms. It's a lot more complicated than that. Women fly through the air doing various flips and turns which are difficult and dangerous. Men also play a vital role in cheerleading. Co-ed stunting involves a man literally throwing a woman up in the air and catching her in various ways. For example, a man will toss a a woman up in the air and catch her two feet in one hand. So basically she is standing on his one hand. More elite stunts involve girls doing 360 turns up into the air and landing in a man's hand. These stunts are dangerous and it's easy for someone to get hurt.

Hofstra University cheerleaders compete in the small co-ed division at nationals. Every January different teams from all over the nation come to Orlando Florida for this epic competition. About a month ago, I went to Florida with the team to see them compete. Watching them win the seventh national title was amazing. People were crying, screaming and jumping all over the place. I wasn't able to compete due to the fact that I just got on the team. However next January I hope that I have the chance to go to Florida and compete. It's February right now and our team is already training for next year. After every practice my muscles are sore, and I'm out of breath. I never thought I would become a cheerleader at college.