One of the bigger steps in fielding a competitive cheerleading team was taken last Thursday with the introduction of the program’s first head coach.
Felecia Mulkey was named to lead the team after spending the last 11 seasons at Kennesaw State in Georgia. She helped win two National Cheerleading Association Division II national championships with Kennesaw State and hopes to bring a similar level of success to Oregon.
The opening press conference held before a small collection of media included athletic director Pat Kilkenny and Oregon executive senior association athletics director Renee Baumgartner.
Along with introducing Mulkey, they gave the program a new name, dubbing it “team stunt and gymnastics program.”
“It is a sport,” Mulkey said. “These girls are athletes. They are dedicated. They have worked at this sport their entire lives and I think you’re going to be amazed and excited about this.”
Mulkey, who officially starts in her new position on July 30, says she hopes to have two athletes on this campus and continue building toward the program’s first season of competition in 2009-10. The team will initially compete in McArthur Court and switch to the new basketball arena when it’s available.
The season starts in December and goes through the beginning of April. Oregon will participate in eight to 10 competitions, and Baumgartner is positive it will face off against Maryland, which has the only other competitive cheer team, distinct from spirit squads found at football and basketball games among other athletic events.
Baumgartner went to this year’s national championship meet in April and brought back a DVD of Kennesaw State’s performance that she played at the press conference.
“The University of Oregon has gained a national reputation as a forward-thinking and innovative institution, and the addition of this sport only enhances that perception,” Mulkey said. “The opportunities this is going to present to females across the nation is exciting and other schools are going to follow.”
Baumgartner said there were skeptics when Oregon created a lacrosse program. The Ducks brought a sport traditionally played on the East Coast out west. But now in its fourth year, the program finished its most recent season at 13-7 – the most wins in program history.
“We have an incredible program and an incredible coach,” Baumgartner said. “I feel the same way with this (sport).”
She was asked why competitive cheer was chosen.
“Because it’s one of the fastest growing sports at the high school level,” she replied.
Oregon officially announced the introduction of the program on July 13, 2007, along with the decision to bring back baseball.
Mulkey and Baumgartner will be reaching out to the community over the next year to help increase interest in the new sport.
“There is a stereotype because competitive cheer started with cheerleading and people do not want to let that go,” Mulkey said. “It conjures up images of cheerleaders on the sidelines, which is not what we are. There is no cheerleading going on in competitive cheer, which is why we changed the name.
“I’m hoping people can drop the stereotype. When they see what we’re doing with team stunts and gymnastics they will see that it’s something completely different than what the people on the sidelines are doing. And hopefully that will change the thought process that I think is really holding the sport back.”
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