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By Cameron Small
Hometown Weekly Intern
It’s Walpole in August. So it’s hot, humid, and people are looking for some air-conditioning. Storm clouds overhead threaten to open up and break the heat spell. Walking down the street, it’s almost like swimming. Inside Blackburn Hall, it’s even worse—where clothing clings, sweat seeps, and the humidity seems ready to give all occupants a perm.
As neither snow nor sleet can stop the United States Postal Service, the current heat and humidity can’t stop the Walpole Youth Cheerleading (WYC) program from practicing. For four hours. Inside Blackburn Hall. Multiple days a week. For a football season and competition in October, with playoffs potentially going into November.
Despite the heat and the physical activity, most people seem to look back on their time in the WYC fondly - people like college-junior Stephanie Matta, who started cheerleading around age nine in WYC. Or Walpole High School senior Summer Blume or junior Kristine Udahl, who volunteered their summers to help coach the B Team. Or Alison Head-Saulnier, who is coaching WYC for the fifth year in a row.
Head-Saulnier participated in cheerleading herself growing up in Walpole. “I started [cheerleading] in fourth grade, so that was… 1986, ‘87? It was going on before that.” Clearly, the legacy of WYC includes good times if decades later, people like Head-Saulnier want to come back to it.
Matta, who participated in WYC for five to six years, agrees. “It was a great way to meet new girls from around town and I had so much hometown pride as a result,” Matta says. “But more than that, cheerleading taught teamwork, trust, and confidence. I learned to do amazing things and it made me feel so good about myself at a time where girls are just learning about confidence.”
WYC brings out a passion for cheerleading not often seen in other sports. After aging out of WYC, Matta continued with it into high school, “But sadly not [into] college.” Head-Saulnier comes back year after year to coach and inspire young girls. Blume and Udahl will continue with cheerleading through the rest of high school; but not knowing their future, they haven’t completely ruled out continuing with cheerleading into college and beyond.
“Can I make a final statement?” Matta asks at the end of the interview. “The Walpole Youth Cheerleading program was amazing and helped me gain so many skills both physically and mentally. I have wonderful memories and I’m so grateful for the fun and the experience.”
