Khazaee is able to base Christie Bonilla '06, left, Merissa Porter '07, top, and Melanie Cruz '05, right, for a stunt called the "diamond head" — a first for Colgate, according to coach Jill Strand. |
|
|
"I started when I was invited by a few members of the team for a tryout, and I
couldn't do any of the stunts," said Ahmad Khazaee '05, a four-year veteran of
the cheer team who is from San Antonio, Texas. At 6'3" and 380 pounds, the math major can't be missed, but for Khazaee, his size is a non-issue. "Cheering and the stunts are all technique-oriented. It [my size] does make it harder for me to have a good technique, but my size and strength help me cheat my way through." Khazaee, who is also a member of Phi Delta Theta and a resident advisor at Gate House, worked at Reunion 2004 and has been a teaching assistant/resident advisor for the OUS summer program. There are currently three men on the squad; the newest addition is Juan Chanelo '08 from Syracuse. "I got him interested," said Khazaee, "but then one of the other cheerleaders got him a little more excited, and now he's on." Khazaee knows exactly how Chanelo was thinking. After failing on the first stunts at his own tryout, "There I was . . . with twelve women around me. I felt a little pressure . . . I just couldn't say no." |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Table of contents