The spirit team at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) notes its mission as striving to provide “a one-of-a-kind service and memorable experience” for the university and community to take pride in UTEP by being the essential connector of traditions, passion and loyalty. Director of Spirit Operations and Head Cheerleading Coach, Bianca Marquez, expands on UTEP Cheer’s role as the “connector.”
“It’s essential for us to be out in the community and connect our community with the campus, but it’s also important for us to be out on campus and connect students to the traditions and to the pride of UTEP,” Marquez said. “Besides basketball and football, we do cheer at volleyball, and we have the opportunity to go out during timeouts to perform. We also cheer at soccer, and we even go out to golf tournaments and stunt around.”
Despite the common misconception that cheerleaders are for sidelines at games and an accessory to other sports, Marquez said the squad has their own goals, just like other teams.
“I really try to align my program with the policies of NCAA, like the other athletes. We don’t have games, but we still [have] practice just like anybody else, we go to workouts just like anybody else. They have trainers, just like other athletes,” Marquez said. “I feel that cheer has a combination of a lot of other sports. We do a lot of tumbling, like gymnasts do. There’s a lot of acrobatics involved, and we need to have a lot of agility, just like in basketball.”
Marquez’s team is in constant preparation for one big competition: Universal Cheerleading Association’s National competition. It is the most prestigious collegiate cheer competition in the country, this year’s event hosted over 300 teams across 46 states.
“We [came] back from competition mid-January, and we are already trying to fix things that didn’t go well. For veterans, it starts right after competition, and for my incoming freshmen, it starts right after tryouts,” Marquez said. “We’re really a year-round program, and we never stop. But as we’re preparing for our competition, we’re also supporting other teams.”
Along with balancing competition and performing at games for other sports, UTEP Cheer also faces another unique battle. UTEP sports teams often struggle to draw the large spectator turnouts of many other universities, leading many to question the source of motivation for UTEP’s cheerleaders, Marquez said she combats this in two ways.
“We like to call it our ‘taglines.’ One is ‘Party on the sideline.’ I’m always telling [the team] that it doesn’t matter what’s happening on the court or on the field – we need to have a party on the sideline. We cannot be affected by what’s happening on the court,” Marquez said. “The other thing I say to them is ‘Fake it ‘til you make it.’ We’ve had some games where we just didn’t come out the victors, and fans leave. We remind ourselves that we’re preparing for competition. So, a lot of the elements that we do at the games, that’s what we do at competition. For us, it’s practice.”
With UTEP Cheer’s demanding schedule, Marquez also pushes her team for excellence off the mat.
“We make it a point here to always talk about transferable skills, like ‘Why do you need to be here on time?’” Marquez said. “Those are good habits that you need to build. We talk about communication and organizational skills, and those are a lot of things that I felt that I didn’t really thinks about when I was an athlete.” Marquez participated in UTEP Cheer from 1996 to 2001. Her personal experience as an athlete influences much of her coaching strategy and her vision for the program. Reaching finals at the national competition will always be at the forefront, however, there are other aspects of student athletics that Marquez emphasizes.
“My number one goal is making sure that I give opportunities to the students to be able to reach that vision that we have [of finals]. But so is giving them opportunities that they wouldn’t have not being in this program – opportunities to travel, opportunities to really learn about other cultures, and other parts of the U.S. and how it differs from where we live,” Marquez said. “I want them to graduate and feel like they’re ready. If they graduate and they feel like they‘ve been successful in going out and seeking employment and finding a career, then I’ve done my job.”
For Marquez and her cheerleaders, it’s all about balance – and not just while they’re in the air. Whether it’s balancing competition preparation while supporting other athletes, or balancing life on and off the mat, Marquez aims to make sure her team is prepared for it all.
Leah Austin is staff reporter at The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected].
