Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The A-10 Tournament is taking place in Washington, DC this week and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel’s 1st interview subject is La Salle cheerleader Maria Johnson, who talked about majoring in Communications and life in Philly.
You grew up in Schuylkill Haven, PA: what made you choose La Salle? Since I grew up in a small town I wanted to go somwehere new: nobody from my high school has been there in about 4 years. I like the small college atmosphere/college size/personalized help I get from teachers.
How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I started in 4th grade because my little brother was playing football. I went to his games and figured that instead of just sitting in the stands I would cheer for the team. I always loved it: it is a big part of my life and taught me a lot about teamwork.
What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? Maximizing your school spirit in all areas: classroom/practice/games/etc. The stigma has changed a bit about whether we are a real sport: more people are open to it because of the more advanced stunts we do and our day-to-day routine, as well as a greater presence on social media.
How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader during a pandemic? Really frustrating. A big part of what we do is showing our facial expressions/being loud…and masks hide all of that. It is also hard to hold a practice if a teammate tests positive.
You are majoring in Communications/PR: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you plan to do after graduating? I have always been into social media and like doing branding for organizations like my sorority/hometown employer. That is where our generation is heading and I enjoy doing it. I can spend hours editing videos/posts to make them perfect: someone once told me to find a job that you would do for free and this is it.
You have an internship in Center City: where at, and what are your responsibilities there? It is a restaurant called “Tequilas” (www.tequilasphilly.com), which is a family-run business. I do their social media pages, monitor their give-away contests, etc.
What is the atmosphere like on campus this week now that the conference tournament is here? Everyone is really excited to see how far we can go: we have high hopes!
How does your school decide who gets to go to DC, and what does it mean to you to see your group doing their thing in front of a national TV audience? It is awesome, we started during COVID and got a new coach this year so it feels like a fresh start.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the A-10 Tournament this weekend? 1 of our teammates recently got a concussion so our plans have changed but we are just trying to make the best of the situation and will play it safe.
Any predictions for today’s game vs. St. Joe’s? I think that we are going to win!