Author: SAMANTHA SOLLITTO

Modern cheerleading began in the 1980s. It was recognized as an independent sport in 1997. And in 1999, it was officially declared a sport.

However, many people have trouble recognizing its status. They disregard it as a sport because they don’t believe there’s anything that qualifies it as such. They think that cheerleading is just cheering on boys football or doing a dance routine for audience members at a game. What they fail to realize is the amount of practice and hard work that goes into curating routines and perfecting their stunts.

Cheerleading, in some aspects, is considered the most dangerous sport in the United States. With the high flying stunts and over the top tumbling, cheerleaders are always at risk for breaking body parts and enduring concussions.

As a follow up to my radio story about CSI’s move from D3 to D2, i would be recording their cheerleading team as they practice and prepare for competition. Cheerleader Deanna Soueid informed me that with this move, she’s hopeful people in the school will start to take their sport more seriously. I plan to interview their coach about how being seen as a club negatively affects their team and how they hope the change to D2 will help more people appreciate cheerleading for what it truly is.

The film was really well done with some great shots and even better quotes. At the very beginning, there was a shot where the camera seemed to be placed on a tree stump and then kids ran past it. What made the shot so interesting cinematically is that the person working the camera eventually grabbed the camera and started running along with the kids, making it as if a child had grabbed the camera and started running with it. It was a playful shot but it added a lot to the film. I especially enjoyed the different perspectives – the side of the Uru-eu-wau-wau people along with the side of those recruited to burn down and cut the trees. Another interesting shot was when they were burning the forest. How did the cameraman manage to get it? They seemed to be right there as they were setting the fire, a dangerous and amazing sight. But I can’t help but wonder how they were able to capture such a scene. The idea and concept for this film would be hard to access unless someone had a direct connection to the Uru-eu-wau-wau people. At the end, when we see Tangãi Uru-eu-wau-wau helping a child set up the camera and filming his own scenes for the documentary, it’s a personal touch that allows the viewer to see the story in a different light. These people needed their story told and to have someone so close to them being a part of the storytelling process is amazing. 

HOST INTRO: Since 1976, the College of Staten Island has been classified as an NCAA division III school. In that time they’ve won 108 conference championships. They’ve been so successful that three years ago, the Dolphins were invited to move up to Division II. But, in 2020, all plans were put to a halt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, after two long years of online learning, CSI’s student athletes will get to compete at this higher level for the very first timeSamantha Sollitto has the story. 

AMBI: The light chatter of baseball parents as they sit on the bleachers at CSI’s baseball field, watching their sons play a scrimmage game. 

TRACK: It’s a brisk autumn day here in Staten Island, perfect weather for chatting and relaxing as we watch a scrimmage baseball game. I’m here at the College of Staten Island as the baseball team plays feverishly in preparation for their spring season. Although it’s fall, practice starts early for the boys, given the school’s recent acceptance into Division II. 

ACT: MICHAEL MAURO: We have to up our game a little bit. Practices are longer, you know we’re allowed to practice really throughout the whole year. We used to take off two-three months in Division I where we didn’t hit or even throw the ball, but now we kinda go right through all 12 months the kids are doing something. 

TRACK: CSI head baseball coach, Michael Mauro knows the stakes that come with this big move. Being the longest-tenured head coach on staff, Mauro has had his fair share of DIII games and firmly believes that DII will be a little more challenging for his boys. 

ACT: MAURO: It’s a total different animal than Division III. A lot of these kids in Division II are Division I kids that weren’t really playing on their team or maybe academically couldn’t make it in the Division I school and they dropped down to Division II, so the quality is just so much different, but it’s been exciting doing it too. 

TRACK: The students themselves have also felt the difference when it comes to playing in a higher division. Tom Marten, a CSI junior, hasn’t had the chance to play with the baseball team while they were in Division III due to the COVID-19 pandemic throwing a curveball at his college career. Now, he gets to experience Division II with the rest of the team, exploring brand new territory for the player. 

ACT: MARTEN: D2’s definitely a bigger challenge than D3, the level of competition goes up, the pitching, the pitchers locate better for baseball especially. Practice has been more intricate, we focus on the little things a little bit more and it’s taken a little more seriously by all the guys.

AMBI: The splashing of water at CSI’s pool, as I interview a track runner who also works as a lifeguard for his school. 

TRACK: The baseball team is just one of the many sports affected by this move to Division II. Track star Kyle Quesada works as a lifeguard for the school when he’s not in class or at practice. He says he’s also feeling the pressure.  

ACT: QUESADA: D2 is a little more competitive than when we were D3, so there’s a bit of a change when it comes to our practice now. There’s a little more pressure, but there’s not as much pressure as if we were D1. 

AMBI: Baseball parents, once again, chatting and cheering on their sons as I interview a cheerleader while we watch the game. 

TRACK: Sports like track and baseball feel that the move is intimidating, but other less traditional sports see this as an opportunity. For cheerleader Deanna Soueid, she feels the change is not scary, but rather important for helping cheerleading at CSI be recognized as a sport. 

ACT: SOUEID: I feel like there’s a lot of misconception between us and the athletic department, people still view us as a club, but, we do hold titles for CUNY, a lot of titles that other teams don’t have, so I think the move to D2 especially now that we have a new athletic director, I think he’s really interested in trying to make cheerleading known to be a sport. 

TRACK: She says one of the biggest impacts of their change in status will be having more resources. 

ACT: SOUEID: A lot of the coaches are working harder to recruit people from out of state rather than recruiting just from Staten Island or just New York. I know the basketball coaches talked to me about going to Texas and recruiting people all the way in Texas and I feel like funding is a big difference too, like the funding we’re getting to remodel the buildings and everything is really, I feel like, the biggest difference now that we’re D2.

TRACK: With sports finally in full swing, players and coaches alike are confident that the upcoming season will be one for the books. For Baruch College, I’m Samantha Sollitto.

HOST INTRO: As Baruch transitions back into in-person learning fully, many students are already gearing up for graduation in spring 2023. Speaking to one Baruch senior about her plans after college and what she hopes life will bring, Samantha Sollitto has the story.

AMBI: The light hum of the vent in Baruch’s Journalism Conference Center.

TRACK: I’m here with Ashley in Baruch’s Journalism Conference Center as she nervously shakes her knee and makes small talk with a friend. She is currently on track to graduate from Baruch this spring. Ashley will be obtaining a degree in accounting and is hoping that she can get a job in
PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Ernst & Young, or Deloitte, also known as the “Big Four” accounting firms.

ACT: ASHLEY: I plan to be an audit side of the firm, but I always wanted to do MNA, but as an F1 student, my Visa only allows me to do what my major in college was and that’s the only Visa they will sponsor me for.

TRACK: Ashley notes the difficulty of searching for a job she truly wants as an F1 student and how getting a green card plays a big role in her career.

ACT: ASHLEY: I heard for the most Big Four firms that you have to reach a certain level of latter, so you have to be a senior associate before you get sponsored for a green card.

TRACK: The stress of having to go through the process of receiving a green card has certainly been present as she nears the end of her college experience. Knowing that it could possibly take a toll on her mental health, Ashley tries to joke with her friends about the experience, making light of an otherwise daunting situation.

ACT: ASHLEY: I always joke with my friends that they need to marry me for a green card because that is the fastest way for me to secure a place in this country, but I think it’s kinda sad that that’s what I’m thinking about right after college and not the money I’m gonna make or the things I wanna do with my career.

TRACK: As graduation approaches, she is confident that all will work out in her favor. Regardless of the struggles Ashley knows she might face, she remains hopeful for a bright future and successful career in
accounting. For Baruch College, I’m Samantha Sollitto.

2022 marks the first year that the College of Staten Island will be competing in Division II sports. These divisions are based on the school size (number of students), the competition, and the funding that their athletic programs receive. Moving up from D3 to D2 is a big deal – something that not many colleges can accomplish, whether it be lack of funding or lack of talent.

No doubt, though, the new competition will be even tougher. I plan to focus on CSI’s baseball team who is currently practicing for their Spring season. They are competing in scrimmage games, which allow the players to get a feel for not only the competition, but the stakes of being a D2 team.

I plan to get soundbites from the players on the team and the coach, the AMBI coming from the sounds of the ball being hit, the crowd cheering (or booing), and the overall chatter that happens before or during the game. Hopefully, I will also be able to get some clips of spectators yelling at the umpire or the coaches to add a little humor.

If possible, rather than focusing solely on their baseball team, I might also look for students who compete in other sports to see how this change has affected them. More specifically students who have been there for 2+ years because then they would have had the experience of competing while the school was still D3. I would be able to gain a little insight as to whether or not the competition has changed. But, for now, I believe I will get the most sound rich quality from actually going to a baseball game.

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