Photo Courtesy of RandiJade De La Garza and Mikayla Saldana
The high energy and performance driven by the UTRGV Cheer Team brings enthusiasm to many college and athletic events happening on and off campus.
Leading the team for the 2024-25 season are Captains Mikayla Saldana and RandiJade De La Garza.
Born and raised in Edinburg, Saldana’s excitement and love for cheer has allowed her to improve her skills and deepen her understanding of leadership.
With two years of high school cheer captain experience, De La Garza’s passion and experience has shaped her into a confident and dedicated leader.
Now at UTRGV, Saldana and De La Garza share joy and dedication to cheer and help them guide the team to success.
De La Garza discussed the hardships that come with leading an energetic-driven team.
“Any cheerleader you meet is a super-driven person, a super-competitive person and they want the best,” she said. “They want their skills to be the best that they can be, but they also expect that for everybody else. So, with that being said, whenever you get a bunch of people who [have] the same type-A personality and they want a go-getter, super driven [and] super competitive, that’s whenever people start getting a little high intensity at practice.”
Saldana explained her journey in broadening her communication skills to connect and lead the team better.
“For me, it was a different experience ’cause in high school, I was not a cheer captain, so it was a bit of a learning experience,” she said. “I would say it has a lot to do with trust. You got to consider yourself part of the team and not make yourself feel any superior than anybody else. You just got to listen to what they say and take it into consideration and take into consideration everybody’s feelings. It really is a I-trust-you-you-trust-me process.”
De La Garza said the goal she carries to every event is her commitment to never dropping a stunt.
“My goal is to never drop a stunt at a game because I know I’ve done this at practice so many times for us to feel comfortable to do it at a game,” she said.
Saldana said the team’s stunts and performances increase crowd participation at athletic events, leading to a bigger outcry in support of UTRGV’s student athletes.
“For me, it’s getting the crowd involved,” she said. “It’s very fun to see when you have the crowd engaged with you and it’s nice to see people smile and yell with you. It’s really encouraging because we have such a huge role in sports and we don’t see that unless somebody yells back with us. … It makes what we’re doing worthwhile.”
With many eyes centered on the team, De La Garza said it is important to keep her composure and avoid any pressures that would lead her to drop a stunt.
“For the stunt part, I would say just don’t think about it,” she said. “Just try and do what you usually do. Go through your same routine for performing. I would just say, keep a smile on your face the whole time and it’s also comfortable to know that your team’s there with you.”
The cheer team’s spirit goes beyond athletic events, showcasing its skills at the national level and representing UTRGV at the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Nationals.
This spring, the team is looking forward to competing at the National Cheerleading Association, also known as NCA.
Saldana explained how the competition would require a shift in the team’s usual performances.
“We would normally go into a game-day division that would include signs, props, megaphones, a lot more cheer-based yelling,” she said. “This other competition, we’re going in a performance division that would be including stunts, tumbling [and] a dance. It’s less sign work, but still the same amount of crowd engaging, just a lot more with facials and a lot more with being sharp and hitting stunts.”
The cheer team will continue practicing to enhance its skills to prepare for NCA, as well as upcoming athletic and other events.
This is Leonardo Guajardo for Vaquero Radio.
