Brian Gaillardetz: From Plex-goer to Eagles cheerleader

Checking out girls at the Plex landed him a spot on the cheer team

Brian Gaillardetz, a junior Information Systems and Marketing Major and RA in Walsh, was asked in an ice breaker activity this past August whether or not he thought cheerleading was a sport.

His response: “No. How can cheerleading be a sport when you’re cheering on another team? It doesn’t make sense.”

Little did he know he would end up changing his mind and joining the cheer squad this fall.

The Tab BC sat down with Brian to learn about how he became a cheerleader, more about his team, and how his life has changed since becoming a Boston College athlete.

Brian and Jack lifting cheerleaders, Erika Reilly and Drew Dickman

Before this year have you ever cheered? Were you ever interested?

No, not at all. And no, not at all. Seriously, not one bit. I didn’t consider it a sport, let alone ever think I would be on ESPN because of it.

How did the team recruit you?

I was working out at the Plex and I was “unintentionally” watching the cheer team practice for too long, and the coach caught me.  I returned to my workout, but Coach Alisa sent over two of the freshman girls who said she wanted to talk to me

When I got over to the practice I was asked if had ever considered cheer. I laughed. “Not even a little bit.” That night I ended up learning how to toss, and I actually had a lot of fun, leading me to return the next week and join the team.

Why did you say yes? Was it the hot girls? Did you want to learn stunts?

We have a saying that “you come for the girls and stay for the guys.” I clicked with Jack Furnivall, our captain, right away, and there are only a few of us guys, so we stick together.

Our coach jokes all the time saying “what better way to workout… instead of lifting weights, you get to be a bunch of dudes who lift girls.”  So yes, I guess the girls were a part of it. I had some friends already on the team, too, so that made my transition super easy.

I also missed the competitive aspect and being on a team working for a goal. Cheering is not about working out to look good but more for a functional purpose. I’ve played lacrosse for my entire life and wrestled too, and I missed being in competitive sports in college. It’s good to be back to that.

Brian and junior flyer, Accursia Gallagher

Have you ever dropped someone?

All the time.

In practices we are always trying new stunts and tricks, and mistakes happen. I’ve never dropped someone on the ground, but I’ve had to make some save catches.

Both the guy and the girl have to have confidence in each other. It’s all about the chemistry with timing, technique and strength. Accursia Gallagher flies with me, and I’ve learned to adjust to her jump and timing. Before that I lifted other girls, and a lot of it comes down to the body control and confidence on their end.

You mentioned a chemistry within the team. Is cheer-sest a real thing?

Cheer-sest would definitely change the dynamics of things. We try to stay out of it, but I’m sure it happens (mhhmm don’t lie to me, Brian). I can’t really imagine, but if I was dating someone on the team that I wasn’t stunting with, it would be uncomfortable because they’d have to watch me interact somewhat intimately with another person. There’s no sexual tension, but we are both working close together.

What are the best and worst parts of being a male cheerleader?

I love traveling with the team. I love football, and I love going to all of the events as a team. I’ve been to Clemson, Duke, and Louisville this season, and we are training for Nationals in the spring. I’m psyched about that.

My favorite part of the actual cheer routines are stunting and tumbling. Before joining the team I could not do a cartwheel, and I just learned how to do a standing back tuck.  I play goalie for my intramural soccer team, and when we score I’ll sometimes whip out a backflip. I just never thought I could do that.

As far as what I don’t like, I am not a huge fan of the dance component of our Nationals competition. It’s just not really my style. Again, I’m a lacrosse and wrestling guy. Masculine. I’ve never had to do something in-count or follow a specific timing, let alone dance.

BC Cheer 2015-16

How are your workouts? Did your muscles get bigger or just your ego?

Workouts are strenuous. It differs between the boys and girls, but I have three-hour (7-10 pm) workouts a day on top of my personal lift at the plex. I’m working on developing form, and that’s making things easier.

If I’m practicing a stunt 50-60 times in practice, that’s like me doing a shoulder press of 115 lbs back-to-back with the same amount of explosiveness. It’s not just a three sets of 10. There’s explosiveness in your arms, your legs, and you’re expected to this over and over again.

Are you a fan of your uniform?

No, I hate it. We joke that they look like PJs. Other teams have nicer uniforms, and hopefully we will be getting new ones for Nationals in the spring. The problem is that the pants are maroon and the shirts are the tight, white Under Armour shirts, and it looks weird.

Is it hard cheering when the team is down?

Yes, it can be really frustrating, but you have to understand that you’re always under a microscope. Someone’s always watching. Say there’s a bad call or we miss another field goal, or even in cases like the Howard game when we were up by so much, it can be tough to stay upbeat. We work on that. I get emotionally invested in the game, so this has been tough for me.

How can we be better fans?

Rituals. We were just at Clemson, and Clemson requires their student section to be there 30 minutes prior to the game. They have a bunch of pre-game rituals, and it really gets everyone excited because everyone’s together.

I wish we had a culture more around supporting the team, less around ‘let’s go get shitfaced and watch our team lose.’ We don’t expect to win all of the time, but we should because our team can.

Describe BC Football in one word

I’ll do three: “frustrating but dedicated.”

We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs with tight games, field goals, etc. We’ve also had so many injuries like Cam Moore and Darius being out. Our offense may be struggling, but they’re still putting in the effort everyday and every play, and they are dedicated in trying. I have faith in Addazio.

Brian, other cheer members, and the Pom squad cheer for the BC SportsCenter broadcast

How have you changed being on the cheer team? Are you peppier?

Between being an RA, my tech internship, and school in general, adding Cheer to the mix definitely made me have to rethink time management. I am more structured. While I did have to drop some activities, I feel like I am more involved on campus. And as a guy cheerleader, we aren’t the peppiest ones, but being on this team has really changed  how hard I work across the board.

What is your favorite stunt/trick?

I like the pyramids. I like the lifts. I like being a man. Anything that makes me look like a girl I do not like.

I feel most masculine when coed stunting  where I lift them over my head and really have to use every muscle and ounce of focus I have. I feel least masculine when I have to do cheers with the hand motions or cartwheels.

Can you do the splits?

No I cannot. That is one thing I don’t wish to learn, and I don’t think I will learn.

More
Boston College