WebSTACIs the Washington University cheerleading lifestyle really akin to “Bring It On?” Or does Kirsten Dunst have it all wrong? Cheerleader extraordinaire Andrea Marks raps with Student Life about Britney Spears, rhythmic gymnastics and bloomers.
Student Life: I recently learned through our own Student Life that the company that provided the sweaters in the Zion scenes in “The Matrix” is based right here in St. Louis. Does this mean my search for cheap-looking, raggedy sweaters has finally come to an end?
Andrea Marks: You can probably find them anywhere. I only saw “The Matrix” once. I don’t really remember.
SL: Kobe Bryant made his first public appearance in several weeks sporting a new tattoo and announcing that he had even contemplated sitting out the season. Obviously, something is bothering Kobe. Do you think it’s because he realized that he could no longer receive a proper Jewish burial under Talmudic law?
AM: I think that was of the highest priority to him. I know if I did that, my parents would kill me because I couldn’t be buried in a Jewish cemetery.
SL: Britney Spears recently took exception to risqu‚ photos printed of her in Esquire magazine despite her own brother’s presence at the time of the photo shoot. Is she a freak or what?
AM: Well, I don’t have a brother but I definitely probably would not wear any revealing clothing in front of one if I did have one. So I would have to say yes.
SL: How do you foster team unity in a sport which so clearly pits each athlete against one another?
AM: Cheerleading is a team sport. We don’t compete against one another at all. In cheerleading we all work together to do the best we can. If one person falls, we all fall.
SL: How did you become captain of the team? Did you have to establish some kind of cheer-dominance? Did you have cheer-offs?
AM: I became the Cheer-tator.
SL: Better cheerleading movie- “Bring It On” or “Bring It On 2” (currently in development)?
AM: I have to say I’m a “Bring It On” fan. I did competitive cheerleading and that’s exactly how it is.
SL: What is your team’s motto?
AM: Washington University Cheerleaders- We Don’t Know You Exist Either. Because it’s so true.
SL: Tell me about being a competitive rhythmic gymnast.
AM: It was an interesting experience to say the least. I’ve never been in a sport before where girls get their ribs removed to make them more flexible. It was a lot of fun for the year that I did it, before I decided to move on to bigger and better things like cheerleading.
SL: Have you ever seen that ribbon thing used as a weapon? It’s amazing to me that no one pokes their eye out with that thing.
AM: Actually, I have poked my own eye out and I have seen many girls poke their own eyes out with it, especially in competitions.
SL: A great cheerleader once said, “Without a conductor there is no orchestra. Without cheerleaders it’s only a game.” What the hell does that mean? Can you explain either of these statements?
AM: I guess what’s the point of going to a football game if you don’t have cute cheerleaders?
SL: Is it true that unless you’re the lead cheerer, the view never changes?
AM: Well since I’m in charge and determine all the sets, I get to decide what I get to do. I used to fly in high school and got really scared of falling so now, because I make up all the stunts, I make sure that I have my two feet on the ground at all times.
SL: If you were a professional cheerleader, which team would you cheer for?
AM: Definitely the Dallas Cowboys because they have the best reputation among NFL professional football cheerleaders.
SL: Is there cheerleading trash talk, or cheer-talk?
AM: At competitions there is, but not necessarily at football games. We’re going to attempt to do competitive cheerleading in the spring and there will definitely be cheer-talk at the competitions.
SL: When your teammates toss you up and you’re hurdling through the air, what do you think about? Is it, “You know, we have troops in Iraq, a sluggish economy, I’ll be graduating in a year and there may not be a job for me out there. The world’s a crazy place.” Or is it more like, “Man, I hope my skirt doesn’t fly up?”
AM: It’s more like, “Man, I hope my bloomers don’t move. I hope my bloomers are covering everything.”