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03/17/2016 12:00 AMAddison Ferrara was a member of the Hornets’ cross country and outdoor track squads heading into his junior year at Branford, but then he decided to try out for the cheerleading team after being encouraged by his good friend Amanda Acquarulo. Addison came to the program with no cheerleading experience or prior training with tumbling, stunts, jumps, or dancing and so he had to play catchup right from the start.
“From the beginning of the year, I literally had nothing. It was so awkward,” says Addison. “It was funny because everybody else is good and I was always two steps behind, wondering what to do, and asking 20 questions about how I do this or how I do that.”
However, even though he didn’t have any experience, Addison was intrigued about learning the team’s routines and his interest in the sport quickly began to grow.
“I wanted to go out for it because I always found an interest in it. It was a cool sport. I’m very happy to have tried it and have fun with it,” Addison says. “I’ve seen movies. I would watch the cheer movies with my sister because they were cool. I always saw them at the school pep rallies since cheer always did a little routine for us. I went for it and that’s how I got addicted to it.”
Head Coach Melissa Mansi was impressed by Addison’s dedication to the cheerleading squad this season, along with his willingness to try new things, and feels he played a huge role in the Hornets’ success. Branford placed second in the Co-ed Division at the SCC Championship and then finished fifth at states.
“It is not typical for a junior in high school to join a new sport, let alone a male on what is typically labeled as a ‘girl’ sport. In the short amount of time he has been training with the team, he has accomplished skills that other athletes take several years to achieve,” says Mansi. “Addison achieved his back tuck [a running backflip] just three days before states. Addison was extremely determined to throw his new tumbling pass at states. During the team’s performance [in the state meet], he went for it and landed it flawlessly as if he’s been throwing it all season—not just for the first time at the biggest competition of the season. He has brought such a huge positive vibe to our team with his supportive, caring, motivating personality. Addison is genuinely one of a kind and our team would not have earned the ranking of the fifth best co-ed team in state without him.”
Addison recalls the feeling of landing the back tuck just before the State Championship, as well as the enormous response it drew from his teammates.
“I had to do a roundoff tuck and landed it. It was on [March 2]. That was the practice I landed my tumbling test. I landed it 10 times,” says Addison. “Mansi changed the routine, which was on [Feb. 26], adding it in, and I was super happy. The whole team was happy she changed it.”
Addison competes in the 200, 400, and the 4x100 relay with Branford’s outdoor track team. What Addison values most in track are the workouts, which he says provided great preparation for his cheerleading career.
“We have two hours of practice per day where we run for the first hour and then do weights, bench, squats, sit-ups, and crunches. You have to give it your all to hopefully win your event that ends in about a half a minute,” says Addison. “Track helped me build up my upper body. Being a back spot, I need a lot of upper-body and leg strength for when I have to shoot everyone up in the air. Track naturally helped me in that area.”
Addison has developed a strong chemistry with his teammates by a being back spot and earned plenty of trust from catching them, which he knows is significant for the Hornets to succeed.
“The best thing about the team is that we work together and we all have a special importance to the team since we all have our own separate roles,” says Addison. “What I found to be cool was, as teammates, we’re always pushing each other to reach new goals and learning new things. We’re always trying to do the best we can.”
Addison feels happy to have made his mark as the lone boy on Branford’s cheerleading team and hopes he can inspire more male athletes throughout the state to go out for their school’s squad.
“I don’t think cheerleading is a girl sport. It’s a co-ed sport and, when it is, there are more possibilities due to the strength and athleticism,” says Addison. “I think that would it be super cool for more boys to get involved.”