Over the course of a few months, I had the opportunity to interview the cheerleaders, dancers, and the Head Coach, Coach Susan Cassidy. Starting off with Coach Susan, we discuss the history of the teams and the direct experience of Coach herself.
JM: What is your experience with the Randolph Macon Cheer and Dance Team?
SC: I’ve been up at Randolph Macon for almost 2 and a half decades, primarily volunteering before taking my position as the coach. There was a prior dance/cheer team while those students were looking for other cheer students and a head coach. Through a sponsor, they were looking for a head coach, and through many connections in the community, they reached out to me looking to help with the competition routines. When I got up to RMC, I was introduced to assistant director (now current director), Jeff Burns, with whom we discussed the potential opportunity of having a coach for the team and the support behind that.
JM: How many years have you worked with cheer?
SC: I have had extensive coaching with cheer for around 40 years, coaching young cheerleaders and coaching competitively as well.
What has been your personal experience with dance and cheer?
SC: My personal experience is that I coached younger children in my teens, building my experience up from there while also participating in being an athlete. I started cheerleading in grade school to high school. Continuing that passion after high school, I also cheered for the University of Pittsburgh, with a triple major, making it into the competitive leagues. During the late 80s- early 90s, we won three national championship titles consecutively, so I have three NCAA titles to my name. Throughout that same time, I also grew up dancing, and I achieved being in competitive dancing, having additional titles. I also taught choreography at my dance studio in Pennsylvania, whereas at RMC, I helped refresh the dance team all around. Around half a decade ago, a couple of dancers approached me to restart the dance program, so I set out looking for resources to take the team under my wing.
JM: How do you feel with the Cheer and Dance Team being a representation of the school, and what does it mean to be a “cheerleader” and “dancer”? (What are the disciplinary actions or mindsets a dancer or cheerleader should have when being a set role model?)
SC: Now where I was from at the University of Pittsburgh, cheerleaders and dancers are on at the same time as a game and fan experience in that atmosphere. As I was used to that environment, going in, my goal for the RMC team was to bring more excitement to the team despite class division differences. Another goal to bring when I started was to build that game experience so when our fans come in and leave out, win or lose, they have an amazing time. As the team, we provide the fan experience; we want those families to leave campus feeling that they saw more than a game, to experience something that they want to come back to. We want to help contribute something bigger, more than just people coming into a gymnasium or on a field just to spectate a game but have that energy to hype up the crowd in the stands.
I tell them at tryouts; it starts right then, signing in or even trying out, getting a feel of it that wearing the unform and becoming a cheerleader/dancer is a privilege in representing the student body of Randolph-Macon. Not only is that an important value, but I also instill in their mindset to think of something bigger than just the individual in the outfit. To put on the uniform is representing the history of those before you but also setting the path for the people who come after you. The privilege of the uniform is not to be taken lightly, and it is approached to be with respect therefore I have very strict guidelines for how our team members conduct themselves both in and out of uniform. I caution them because of their public image out in the public, their faces are easily recognized throughout, out of uniform actions are reflected on how they handle themselves. There are expected consequences regarding uniform regularity, attitude, and their part in the institutional, so I expect them to have exemplary behavior as if their uniform is their golden moment. There are many people who question the team’s involvement in the games as considered to be “window dressing,” “the team not being a real sport,” and “to the game is going to happen, whether you’re there or not there.” To the last statement, it is true, however that shouldn’t minimize the element of the game. To those athletes who are actually playing in the game, our cheering is to reassure them that they have someone behind them, encouraging them to keep going when the crowds go quiet. Our job is to make sure there is no silence when the game is going on. Our function is to make sure 100% of the time, whenever the game is going in our favor or not that those athletes understand that they are being supported by us, and our noise is in their favor. We’re there to be equalizers embodying our privilege and honor of being in the uniform. Yes, we are athletes, we flip people and throw them up in the air; we are athletes, we are athletic and to give out more sound.
JM: What was your passion going into starting the team?
SC: I lovingly refer to Randolph-Macon as my happy place, walking around on campus, learning about the faculty, and spirit of familial unity as a part of my inspiration for any team. So, wanting our students to participate in the program to feel as we as a team, cheer/dance, mascot, and drumline to feel like a small Randolph-Macon family that contributes hugely among the community. It pours a lot of my personal love of the game, my love of athletics, my love of a wonderful, educational community will run right through my athletes. It’s so easy to push my athletes and my team to be motivated by the best experience because I feel that passion. I feel this passion of Randolph-Macon Team as if it was my own school, as if it was my own program. That community of Randolph-Macon is that strong, it pulls you in, and that’s something that I’m very proud to be in.
JM: Would you encourage anyone who would like to be a part of the team, particularly any upperclassmen and freshmen? And if so, what do you hope for them to expect when trying out?
SC: What I expect them when it comes to trying out, is to be committed, dedication, and flexibility I have put people on the team with disabilities, with little to no experience, though preferred. We can’t always take in every single individual, but we take the ones who are strong in that passion to pursue being a part of the team. What I’m looking for is how coachable you can be, how you’re able to learn even with pre-existing knowledge, and dedicate your time to continue learning what it takes to be a cheerleader or dancer. There have been people who have never done this before, and those two days have come out with the best amount of knowledge like they’re already part of them, showing indisputable effort. Even when people didn’t, I gave opportunities to show their dedication, and those people showed up, reaching out to returning members, enhancing their memory, and effort. They did their tryout, did remarkably well, and it spoke out to me, them demonstrating their proof in doing so.
JM: My last question is do you have relaying messages to give advice for any team members, old and new?
I think in this world we’re in, anyone of college level, I know it’s very hard to balance, and work on everything. My first piece of advice is to always take care of yourself and take care of your mental health. You must come up with terms that it’s okay not to be perfect; it’s okay to ask for help. Everyone has a village, whether they know or not, they have someone behind them to support them, even when you pause or you are struggling, someone is there to have their back. All those things are academically, extracurricular, and beyond that make you uniquely yourself is a lot to carry, but you don’t have to carry that all alone. Find your mentor, your adult that knows who’s been through life, find that person with the same passion to help you take those steps into the next direction and take that direction forward.
The first student I interviewed was Cheerleader, Sydney McDowell, Class of 27:
JM: What has your experience with RMC Cheer Team been and what is your personal experience, if any?
SM: I have been on the RMC cheer team for three seasons, cheering for more than 10 years outside of RMC cheer, including All-Star and Sideline cheer.
JM: What do you think it means to be a student athlete? What is the representation of being a student athlete?
SM: Being a student athlete is very important to me, because it makes me become more disciplined with balancing, getting my academic work done, and attending both practice and games throughout the week.
JM: Would you encourage anyone who would like to be a part of the team, particularly any upperclassmen and freshmen?
SM: I would like to encourage anyone to try out for the team! We are very welcoming and would love to have some new members to our team!
The second student I interviewed was Cheerleader, Adah Jane, Class of 27:
JM: What has been your experience with RMC Cheer Team and what is your personal experience, if any?
AJ: My experience on this team has been positive overall! I came into cheer, new, wanting to try something other than dance and offer myself a new challenge. Cheer has pushed me physically and mentally in ways I wasn’t aware of what I needed when I was still new to college.
JM: Would you encourage anyone who would like to be a part of the team, particularly any upperclassmen and freshmen?
AJ: I would recommend cheering just as much as I would recommend any sport to a college athlete. If you know that this is something you could commit to, have the time, and know how to do it, I would absolutely try it out.
The last student I interviewed was Dance Team captain, Marrisa Klinger, Class of 26:
JM: What is your experience with dancing?
MK: I’ve been personally dancing since I was 2 years old, and I’ve continued it for 18 years! I’ve danced in competitions between 4 to 5 years winning platinum, diamond, and titanium. Outside of being a part of the Randolph-Macon Team, I am a dance teacher’s assistant for the Ashland Dance Company!
JM: How does it feel to be a dancer, and how do you represent the dance team at RMC?
I am a captain on the RMC Dance Team, and I’ve been doing it for around 2-3 years now.
JM: Would you encourage anyone who would like to be a part of the team, particularly any upperclassmen or freshman?
MK: As long as you have the drive, motivation, experience, dedication, and you know what you’re doing on the team, you should be good.
Conclusion: Before the cheer embarked their journey to championships during Basketball Season, Captain of cheer team, Kennedy Eggers was announced to have hip surgery and bid her farewell of her season as a senior. She was supported by her family and honored by Coach Susan for her commitment and dedication to the team. The Cheer & Dance Team were eligible to travel to Ohio in support of RMC Football’s game and to Roanoke for RMC Basketball’s games to both Old Dominion Athletic Championships (ODAC). The Cheer & Dance Team also cheered for the Men’s Basketball team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The Cheer & Dance Team scheduled tryouts around April 17th and 18th, in which the selected students were announced on the Instagram page. To find out more information regarding events, games, and much more, follow their Instagram page at @rmccheerleading and @rmcdanceteam for more updates! Congratulations to both returners and new students on the team for the upcoming 2026-2027 season!
