Cheers for the orange and blue

KIDDIE CAMP COMING SOON — Hope Cheer Team gets new team ready for Hope vs Olivet game. (Photo: Hope College Cheer Team)

Hope College’s blue and orange are reaching out to a smaller bunch this upcoming Oct. 1 as Hope’s cheer team is hosting kiddie cheer camp. At the upcoming Hope vs. Olivet football game, kids will have the opportunity to cheer with the older cheerleaders at the game.

The little ones will be training with the team at Devos Fieldhouse in preparation for the big day. Do you have any siblings or know of family-friends with little ones that would want to join in? Registration starts at 12 p.m. for only $40. Then the camp starts at 12:30 p.m., and it is filled with a whole day of activites. For any interest in the kiddie camp, just email Hopecollegecheer@gmail.com. The kids get a t-shirt, hair bow and tickets for the family to come watch them perform. They learn Hope cheers, dances, stunting and more. The cheer team has done this in past months, but now they are bringing the kids to the football season. The team is excited to teach the kids to support Hope in a fun and cheerful way.

“We started kiddie camp in February of last year in an effort to reach out to the Holland community. Because of its success, we decided to expand the camp to football and basketball season,” co-captain Courtney Haitsma (’18), shared. “This will be the first year in about fifteen years that Hope College Cheerleading is holding a football season kiddie camp, and we’re very excited! As the coordinator, I have been carefully putting this camp together since July. It’s a lot of work, but seeing the look on the girls’ faces as they take the field with us makes it all worth it,” she said.

Other team members commented on last year’s kiddie camp and shared some fun stories. “I enjoyed the interaction with the kids and their enthusiasm for learning new cheers,” John Kraft (’17) said. He is thrilled for this upcoming kiddie camp. He is ready to see new and old faces and to teach them fun and exciting cheers.

“Well, I was a camp counselor over the summer and I saw both kids there and at kiddie camp. Kids getting excited for what you love and do is just satisfying,” Tyler Gast (’19) discusses the heart of the sport itself. “It shows that there is something different about you that they aspire towards,” he said.

The team is ready for the little ones. All the cheerleaders have dedicated work and time into the camp. The commitment to the kids and the sport is fun to watch and it will be a delight to see what the kids have learned from the camp. We at the Anchor show our support for the young cheerleaders in their big performances and wish good luck to the men’s football team against Olivet. Go Hope!