Jasper Dancers celebrating their rank in the Hip-Hop category at NDA Nationals.
CHRISTINA IRVOLINO / COURTESY
By Elizabeth Kalaj, Web Editor
The Manhattan University Cheer team and the Jasper Dancers are gearing up for this year’s season and hosting tryout sessions – all under new leadership.
Both teams are following up on a breakthrough year. The Jasper Dancers participated in their twelfth consecutive National Dance Alliance (NDA) competition and placed third in the DI hip-hop category. The Cheerleading team also competed at the national level in the spring, but for the first time.
The Quadrangle spoke with Victoria Aulov, a senior sociology student and team manager of the Manhattan University cheerleading team, about upgrades the team is making and expectations for the upcoming season.
“We will have our official team by September 20,” Aulov said. “This year, we have two teams: a game day team and a competition team. This decision was made after a lot of people have expressed that competition is a large commitment, especially while being a student balancing many things. This way, people can still cheer at games and be a part of the family that we have created within the cheerleading program.”
Both of the cheerleading teams will be practicing with each other at least once a week, as well as cheer at games and events. Students have a choice to be on solely the gameday team or both teams. The cheerleading team plans to return to nationals this year, using the skills they have learned from their past season.
“Being able to compete last year was a very big learning experience,” Aulov said. “Now that we have score sheets and more information on what judges look for, we can really utilize it this season to put out an even better performance this year and really manipulate the way that we perform so we can score and rank higher.”
The Quadrangle also spoke with cheerleading head coach Caroline Oliver about her transition from being assistant coach and why she decided to step forward for the team.
“Honestly, I love the group of girls and I intend on staying with this program no matter what,” Oliver said. “I wanted to be here and bring girls through this year because we went to Nationals for the first time last year and I want to be here to grow the program and see it do better. It’s kind of like starting from the beginning and building it up.”
Oliver believes that Manhattan University offers unique opportunities to girls interested in cheerleading who have never been on a team before, which makes the program so attractive.
“Maybe cheerleading was something that they have wanted to do forever but never had the opportunity to,” Oliver said. “You think when you get to college you are not going to have that chance, but here we are. We are giving you that chance. And once somebody gets in the door, the team has created a really good mindset of family and friendship with each other.”
The Quadrangle spoke to Christina Irvolino, senior psychology and criminology major, and hip-hop captain of the Jasper Dancers. Irvolino is excited for the upcoming season and the new, positive faces on the team.
“We are looking forward to creating a positive outlook for the entire community to feel super welcome, especially with a lot of new and bright members on our team who are super eager to get out there,” Irvolino said. “For this year, we are really trying for both of our categories [hip-hop and jazz] to be successful in terms of what we have prepared.”
The Jasper Dancers have new assistant coaches and a new head coach for the team this year. The new head coach, Madeline Donahue, is a Jasper Dancer alumna who competed in their first-place winning season in 2019. The team is excited to have her and has welcomed her with open arms.
“She [Madeline] has always been the most active part of our organization,” Irvolino said. “She is not only involved in the alumni classes we hold annually, but she has set time aside in her busy schedule to be there for us throughout the years and when this career opportunity came about, she immediately jumped on the bandwagon. With her as coach, she is pushing boundaries every single day and her legacy will forever live on throughout the Jasper Dancers, regardless of what the rank is.”
Irvolino shared some frustration regarding the challenges that come with being on the dance team at Manhattan University.
“Something that every single member of the team, alumni and coaches are passionate about is giving us the opportunity to compete at the highest level that the prestigious schools in our category also have,” Irvolino said. “It is not fair that we are constantly coming in as underdogs because other schools have budgets and facilities we do not have access to because our school does not see us as athletes. They see us as a club. And I hope now that we are a university that those boundaries can be pushed a bit. Every season, we have to fight for every single thing we have down to the socks we wear through fundraising and paying out of pocket.”
The Quadrangle also spoke with Brylee Watkins ‘24, who has stepped up to be assistant coach of the Jasper Dancers.
“I’ve been dancing my whole life and I always knew I wanted to coach at some point,” Watkins said. “When the opportunity arose to do it with a team I already adore with another incredible alumna, I jumped at the opportunity to apply.”
Irvolino had some final words about why these athletes continue doing their sport, no matter the seasons that pass or the changes that occur.
“Each person’s reason is completely unique to them,” Irvolino said. “But I would say the majority of us come back every single day because we truly love the art of the sport and the unity and family we have created within the organization.”