The McGill Redmen Cheer Team

The McGill University Cheerleading Team works to promote school spirit, fan involvement and athletic success within the McGill Community.

The McGill Cheerleading team consists of anywhere between 20 and 30 female (possibly male) members. We are a competitive squad training 2-4 days per week depending on upcoming events. At these 3-hour practices, we combine stunting, basket tossing, cheering, dancing and gymnastics into routines for competition and performances.

The Team can be seen cheering at all home and some away Redmen Football games as well as at Redmen and Martlet Basketball home games in the D. Love Competition Hall. In addition, the team holds showcases before major competitions to display their routine to friends and family in the Montreal area.

Recent competitions include Quebec, PCA Nationals, and the Big Apple US Championship. In 2008-2009, the team plans to compete at three competitions: a local competition in November, PCA Nationals in December, and internationally [to be decided by the team] in the Spring semester.

2008-2009's team will have a projected team fee of $200/semester to cover competition expenses; much of this cost is fundraised with the help of an enthusiastic fundraiser-coordinating team.

Practices are currently Sundays from 6:00-8:30PM, Wednesdays from 7:00-8:30AM, and Thursday from 8:15-10:30PM, in the Currie Gymnasium.

Coaching Staff [2007-2008]

Coach: Mallory MacLeod B. Ed. '09. Started Cheering in Woodstock On with the SMHS Warriors in 2000 and continued with McGill Cheer in 2004, becoming captain in 2005 and now is very excited to focus her skills on coaching this year! Her major is elementary education and she still has a few years to go (which is good for McGill Cheer!)

Coach: Sofia Guay M.A. '07 joined the team when she was still an undergraduate student. She loved the experience and joined the Ryerson Rams cheerleading squad upon graduating from McGill. She missed the Redmen dearly and was thrilled when her studies took her back to McGill. Now a graduate and working woman, the 07-08 season will be her second year coaching this fine team. Also, she's pretty mean with a stopwatch.

Assisstant Coach: Tracy Calabrice, B. Ed. '09. Began cheerleading at the age of 14 in Syracuse, New York. This is my third year on Mcgill Cheer and I now have the role of assistant coach, which makes me oh so happy! I also teach elementary students how to cheerlead...AKA cheerleading it a HUGE part of my life. Being a part of Mcgill Cheer is something I have a hard time seeing myself without!

Co-Captain: Kaylea Howarth, BA '09. Quite possibly the most socially awkward cheerleader, or the blondest chick programming computers on a Friday night... Kaylea's been dancing/cheering since forever. Captain of her highschool Poms Team, Kaylea is stoked to bring that experience to McGill Cheer. Special talents include counting really loud, sporting a stellar Chicago accent, and consuming mass amounts of Diet Rockstars.

Co-Captain: Lauran Gibson, BA '10. This tiny girl with a huge personality began competing provincially in gymnastics at the age of 10, with previous backgrounds from figure skating and diving. Strong wit and an adoring sense of humor is what this little one uses to motivate herself, her team and her school. Though she does spend some quiet time studying, relishing in Bob Dylan, Neil Young and the Grateful Dead and caring for her (many) cats, if the name of the game is wild and crazy, the arrow should without a doubt point to Gibson. There's no mistaking that this fresh flyer went from knowing nothing about Cheerleading outside of 'Bring It On' to the being windsome whippersnapper that could.

Fundraising Coordinator: Michelle Farnoush, BSc '08, is in her final year of BSc Kinesiology, and enjoys volleyball, rock climbing, squash and running...although the latter is mostly after her dog Luka. From the little town of Orono, Ontario, this country girl learnt all her Cheerleading skills here at McGill and is one hardcore, muscle-powered chica! Between living at the library and working at the Gym, as Fundraising Coordinators, Mich and Bri literally live for coordinating fundraising events for the team year-round; serving to cover all competition fees and travel accommodations for the team. "Work Hard, Play Hard, Cheer Hard."

Fundraising Coordinator: Brianne Miller, BSc '09, is too cool to tell you about herself.

Coaching Staff for the 2008-2009 will feature Tracy Calabrice and Sofia Guay as Head Coaches.