To Juliet Garo, her teammates are the best part of being on the Bakersfield College cheerleading squad.
Garo, 18, is a sophomore at BC, and is one of seven women on the year-round squad responsible for cheering on athletes throughout the year’s sporting events.
But Garo says there is cheerleading going on within the team as well.
“The girls on the squad, they make it fun and we support each other.
“Other teams that I’ve been on we would always have different groups because of isolation or because (they would) play favorites, but this group is all one,” she said.
“We don’t have anything against each other and we work together, it’s really cool.”
Garo says her favorite sport to cheer for is Renegade football.
“You get to cheer and support, especially when it comes to touchdowns,” she said. “The crowd gets going and the crowd support especially makes things better, more easier.”
Cheering for the crowds comes after many hours of practice, according to Katy Assaturian, a cheerleader at BC.
She is starting her first year on the cheer team with enthusiasm, despite the long hours of rehearsal.
“It’s a lot of work. We practice three hours a day for three hours to four hours at a time,” she said.
“And then it’s night commitments with all the other activities and sports. But it’s enjoyable and a lot of fun.”
Cheerleading coach and alumni BC cheerleader Marvin Ramey knows the hard work it takes and has high praise for his team.
“This team is very positive. It’s hard work and plus they’re full-time students and they have to work to support themselves, so they do a lot,” he said.
“And they seem to have a good rapport with the crowd and we have a good pep band and that helps, too. I’m very proud of the team.”
With no cheerleading budget in place, the team relies on fund-raising to buy uniforms and travel to various sporting events and competitions. The average expense per cheerleader is $785, Ramey said.
Assaturian said although it is sometimes difficult, everyone is motivated to raise money for the team.
“It’s really hard to raise money. But we’re holding a raffle at the last football game and we’re also going to have a car wash, I think to see if any businesses want to sponsor us so hopefully they will.”