Anthony Cruz has been a cheerleader for four years and, he hopes he will be cheering for at least for the next few years.

The 2011 Woodmore High School graduate made the cheerleading squad at Bowling Green State University following the school's April 9 cheerleading tryouts.

“I thought I did really well,” said Cruz, 18. “Part of tryouts was tumbling. As an All-Star cheerleader, we tumble on a floor that has springs on them. When I tried out at BG, it was just a mat on a floor and I didn't know what I could do. I ended up doing everything I could normally do. It made a difference in my height when I jumped, but that was about it.”

Anthony Cruz	Cody Curry

The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Cruz competes with Top Notch Cheer in Fremont with Cody Curry, another 2011 Woodmore grad who will be on the cheerleading team at the University of Cincinnati in 2011-12.

“Top Notch is an all-star competitive gym that has a bunch of different squads based on age groups and ability,” said Cruz, who also sang baritone in Woodmore's choir. “Cody and I have both been on their top co-ed international squads in Level 5, which is one of the highest (levels) in cheerleading. We compete and go down to Columbus a lot for competitions. We also go to Indianapolis, and you can qualify to go to the Worlds down in Orlando, Fla.

“I actually qualified for an international squad this past year. But, it was my senior year and I had a state choir contest which was important to me. We (Woodmore) got the highest rating we could get, but I was really disappointed about not going to Orlando.”

Cruz said he competed against 11 to 12 other men for one of the openings on the BGSU cheerleading squad.

“The first thing we did (at the tryout) was the tumbling portion, then the next thing was stunting, where you lift people,” Cruz said. “I'm used to quad stunting, where you have three or four people lifting one girl and doing different stunts from that. At BG it’s obviously going to be partner stunting, which I had only done once in my life.

“I was really worried and nervous. I ended up throwing a girl up (in the air) and getting an extension, which surprised me. I didn't think I could do it. I thought that was going to be the downfall of my tryouts. She was a BG cheerleader from last year and she was one of their smallest fliers.”

Cruz reports for a cheerleading retreat at BGSU from June 26 through July 1. The retreat will be used to work on skills such as tumbling as well as getting to know the cheerleading squad.

“I plan (to cheer) for football and, hopefully, basketball,” Cruz said. “There are eight spots for men and there are eight returners. I ended up being added as the ninth person for the co-ed squad. Someone will be an alternate, depending on how this retreat goes.”

Cruz, who took several courses at BGSU when he was a student at Woodmore, plans to commute to school and major in either political science or psychology.

Curry, 18, who has been a competitive cheerleader since the fifth grade, was a football and basketball cheerleader at Woodmore. He plans to study neuroscience at Cincinnati.

“I'm going to go to med school after I get my undergraduate degree,” he said. “Hopefully I'm going to be a brain surgeon. My main goal is to find a prevention for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and other diseases of the central nervous system.”

Curry went to UC's cheerleading tryouts from April 27-29 and found out he had made the squad while driving back home on the final day of tryouts. His senior prom just happened to be that night, a Saturday.

“I had to drive back down (to Cincinnati) on Sunday, at 4:30 in the morning, to go to practice,” Curry said. “I was super tired and kind of on the edge. I thought my tryout was really good.”

Curry got the call from UC around 3 p.m. that Saturday, and prom started at 5 p.m. He said he started calling “a bunch of people,” including his prom date, Stephanie Holland.

“I was really super excited,” Curry said. “I called Stephanie and she was really happy for me. I picked up her flowers and got everything ready. It was really exciting.”

Curry (6-0, 150), said UC has 17 male cheerleaders on the school's national squad, which competes for a spot at the NCAA Nationals. He said he will be a cheerleader for football and basketball.

“Practices have already started,” Curry said, “but because of my summer job I won't go until the end of July. I'm super excited.”

Curry will also compete in the decathlon for the Bearcats' track and field team. Curry competed in the 300-meter hurdles, 4x100 and 4x200 relays, pole vault and long jump at Woodmore.

“I basically did everything,” he said. “That’s why I wanted to be a decathlete.”

Anthony Cruz will be cheering with Bowling Green State University following the school's April 9 cheerleading tryouts.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed