RUMBLE & TUMBLE: CVTC's First Ever Competitive Cheer Team Hits The Mat
just because Chippewa Valley Technical College doesn't have a traditional athletics department doesn't mean there's a shortage of school spirit – take it from the CVTC competitive cheer team
Barbara Arnold, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
Chippewa Valley Technical College’s (CVTC) competitive cheer team is made up of a dozen student athletes (13 if you count Ollie the River Otter, CVTC's first mascot in almost 40 years). The team – which practices in the early morning hours for close to six hours a week; most members practice solo as well – is the very first in the school's history.
All 13 of them are wide-eyed and bushy-tailed (pardon the pun, they are "the otters" after all) at a time when most students are still sleeping or just waking up. On one mat, a few students are tumbling and doing back handsprings, twisting and turning (much like Ollie might do in the water).
Perfect form is essential. In another area of the CVTC gym, all 13 will work together to create a three-level human pyramid – roughly 10 to 15 feet in the air – where safety in execution is critical. As they’re dismantling, a few start practicing stunts, like a high-flying basket toss. Whee! There they go!
What drives these dedicated athletes? According to Erin Hazen, CVTC's student clubs and leadership coordinator, it's all for the love of competitive cheer and to embody school spirit.
“Our now coach approached me last spring and convinced me that there was a huge, untapped potential at CVTC for a competitive cheer team,” Hazen said. “She had the entire program designed in her mind right down to some participants, and made me and CVTC’s administration believe that CVTC was a place that competitive cheer could thrive.
"We took the chance, and we’re glad to say that our coach was 100% correct.”
The competitive team's student athletes are varsity level, Hazen continued, performing high-level routines which combine stunts, tumbling, and choreography.
“Competitive cheer is about athleticism, precision, and competing for scores and titles against other squads. They are a team that the college and the community can cheer for,” Hazen said.
Members of the CVTC and wider Chippewa Valley community can do just that when the CVTC cheer team makes its competition debut on the weekend of Dec. 13-14. The 2025 Fire Up Dance & Cheer Competition will be hosted at UW-Eau Claire's McPhee Center (509 University Dr., Eau Claire) all day on Saturday, Dec. 13, and from around 8am-2pm on Sunday, Dec. 14.
The upcoming competition is open to the public for a nominal, cash-only fee.
At the event, judges from the Wisconsin Association of Cheer & Pom Coaches (WACPAC) – the governing body for cheer and dance in Wisconsin and recognized by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WIAA) – will observe and score performances based on predetermined criteria such as technique, choreography, and execution. They also provide feedback and assess artistry.
Izzy Kaeding, an Eau Claire native and first-year nursing student, cheered at Memorial High School for three years. Primarily holding base positions in high school, Kaeding is now flexing new muscles with CVTC's team.
“This year, I have been learning how to be a flyer in pyramids, baskets, and quads,” Kaeding said.“The position change has been an adjustment, and definitely a good experience.”
Two former Chi-Hi Cardinals, Aariana (AJ) Rossano and Hayliemay Turner, are pumped to be on the competitive cheer team, they said. Both Rossano (first-year graphic design student) and Turner (second-year business student) came to the team with several years of cheer experience under their belts, both pointing to the CVTC team's high-level ability.
“Some new skills and tricks I’ve learned from being on the team are different stunts,” Rossano said. “In high school, there were strict rules on stunting, whereas at the college level, we are doing a lot more stunting, like pyramids.
“Being on the competitive side of cheer is very different than high school since at CVTC we don’t have teams to cheer for,” Rossano added. “We focus more on the competitive side of cheer. We work hard as a team and as an individual. We are going to multiple competitions to show off our skills.”
This type of competitive cheer team comes with a learning curve, Turner agreed.
“I have learned a ton of new stunting skills,” Turner said. “I am hitting stunts quicker than I ever have before. Everyone is learning at such a fast pace.”
Amery native Paige Komanec, a first-year digital marketing and graphic design student, has been impressed with the level of support from coaches and teammates.
“I was a gymnast for nine years, and I was looking for a sport I would love as much as gymnastics,” Komanec wrote. “When I saw the opportunity to try out for a cheer team, I jumped on it.”
For those who tuned into the November debut of NBC's Stumble – a new comedy TV series described as a mockumentary about junior college cheerleading – don't expect similar performances from the CVTC River Otters competitive cheer team. In this writer's humble opinion, this team will rise and shine in whatever they do.
“Cheerleading is for anyone,” Chuyee Yang, an Eau Claire native and first-year culinary student, said. “All you need is a growth mindset and a ‘yes I can do this’ attitude.”
It’s safe to say, CVTC’s cheer team has definitely got that “Yes, I can do this” attitude.
Arnold is currently a student at CVTC. Learn more about the Chippewa Valley Technical College's competitive cheer team online through the college's Facebook page (@
