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| by Courtney Wilczynski |
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Courtney Wilczynski, our author, joined ACE as a summer camp cheer and dance instructor in 2002. A former high school valedictorian and cheerleader from New Jersey, she cheered for The University of Delaware as a member of the 2001 national championship team. Presently, she is a second year medical student in Philadelphia and was selected as head instructor for the Guantanamo Bay cheerleading camp.
Mike Corrin, from Wilmington, Delaware, also joined ACE in 2002. He and Courtney were cheerleading partners at the University of Delaware. Currently employed by a major financial corporation, Mike is still competing on an Open Cheerleading Team, considering his prospects for graduate school, and working on special assignments for ACE. Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, seemed a very special assignment, indeed. |
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Wednesday, November 19, 2003
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| Mike and I fly out of Baltimore/Washington International Airport enroute to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Although the Maryland weather outdoors was rainy and windy, once aloft, our flight was steady and calm. Arriving in Fort Lauderdale safely, we headed to our hotel where we ordered food and planned to get a good night's rest in anticipation of the next day's travel. |
Thursday, November 20, 2003
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| Midway through the flight to Guantanamo, we made a stop at a Bahamas International airport to refuel and stretch our legs. We then reboarded the tiny plane to continue on to our final destination. Encountering high winds on the last leg of the journey, the tiny plane bucked and swerved its way toward a final landing. We finally landed safely, and breathing a sigh of relief, stepped out into the grass of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (aka Gitmo)! |
Friday, November 21, 2003
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| Mike and I met Michele and Stephanie at the base's hospital for breakfast and a tour of the hospital, of great interest to me. For such a small base population, their facilities and access to the latest medical technology was amazing. We later met with the gracious commanding officer of the hospital who gave us military coins and delivered a convincing recruitment offer for future career positions. We were very flattered by the special welcome that the medical staff gave us. |
| Mike and I had our first sighting of many Iguanas. It is estimated that there are between 2,000 and 3,000 of the scaly creatures in Cuba. While their species has disappeared in alarming numbers from populous areas around Havana, for example, here on Guantanamo, they remain relatively undisturbed and unthreatened.
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Inside the lighthouse was also a history lesson of Guantanamo Bay, including replicas of the more prevalent creatures on the island: the Iguana, the Banana Rat, and the Python. Of course, Mike was impressed, but I was unmoved. After leaving the lighthouse, we finished our tour by walking on the beach, which had no sand, but very blue water.
As afternoon approached, it was time to meet the cheerleaders at their homecoming pep rally. This would give Mike and I the opportunity to see them perform and to get an idea of the focus for the next few days of the camp. The team was great, displaying energy, enthusiasm, and school spirit-all the essentials for a talented team. Once the festive pep rally concluded, we moved from the high school to the elementary school where the camp would be held. |
| We concentrated on motions, sidelines, stunts, and tumbling and were amazed at the talent of the team, especially for a team that must constantly deal with member changes. The talent and determination these girls showed was extraordinary. We also worked with the girls on building and becoming a successful, united team through various exercises and games. |
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| Later, the cheerleaders' parents graciously supplied us with dinner, and we discussed the goals of the team as we ate. Then with full stomachs, we got back to work. I taught the first half of a dance routine, which the girls seemed to like, and picked up on very fast, then we started putting together a cheer. During break, a new visitor, another former cheerleader, and now a lieutenant on the base also welcomed us.
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Saturday, November 22, 2003
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| We met the team and coaches an hour before the camp start time for a great breakfast, again prepared by the cheerleaders' parents. Now energized, we got right into the camp. To get the girls moving, we began by reviewing the dance from the night before. I proceeded to teach the remainder of the dance while Mike led a discussion with coaches concerning their own goals for the remainder of the camp. The morning passed quickly as we continued teaching more stunts and transitions, as well as working on jumps. |
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After lunch, cheering and tumbling took precedence. That is, once the true personalities of some team members came out after we played a game involving animal noises! Mike and I worked on putting together a shortened routine for them to perform at their upcoming pep rally and parade. There were fun times as well as rough times as we struggled with team member's weaknesses and expanded on their strengths. With hard work and concentration, however, we finished the day a step closer to our performance goal. |
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| With the afternoon to ourselves, Mike and I headed to the phone booth to call our parents. Later, we took a ride to the beach and collected shells and rocks. We also drove around the base some more, being sure not to go over the posted speed limit across base of 25 mph. Later, we went back to our rooms to shower and prepare for dinner and a movie. Running late, we again ended up eating fast food for dinner and then went to the movie ELF at the outdoor theatre. Outdoor theatre? I thought they were extinct! What an amazing experience, and also to have the national anthem played before the movie. |
| After the movie concluded, Mike and I headed to the high school where the cheerleaders were enjoying their homecoming dance. Crashing the party with our cameras, we took some pictures of the girls all dressed up in lovely gowns, and then left them to enjoy the remainder of their dance. We finished off the night with a game of bowling at the base bowling alley...which Courtney won!
| Saturday, November 22, 2003 |
Last Day of Camp We met again for breakfast with the team and coaches. At camp, the girls were rather tired from their homecoming dance the night before, so we played a game to get them moving before we even stretched out. Once they were warmed up, we reviewed everything from the first two days of camp. Stunting followed as the girls perfected libs and put together pyramids and basket tosses. It was again a time for learning and understanding individual strengths and weaknesses as we constructed their routine. |
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After a break for lunch, we ran through the routine, taking time out to perfect certain aspects of it. The team not only hit their routine, but they had fun in the process, and it showed. Once they were comfortable with performing it, we gave them options to work on over the next week to increase the difficulty in the routine. With the remaining time, we headed outside to take some group pictures. The camp finally came to an end, and we presented each girl with her own award as well as presented two team members with invitations to bowl games. The camp was such a success because everyone felt we had met our goals and more. Over the last few days, we had all become a team!
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| We then went to take some stunting pictures with the help of coach Michele and team member Stephanie. Finally, we headed to the store to buy souvenirs for friends and family back home. Once we got back to our rooms, we baked cookies for a pool party the cheerleading team was hosting. With cookies directly out of the oven and bathing suits on, we rushed to the pool where we met the remainder of the parents, family, and friends. After a great barbeque, we swam, stunted in the pool, and had a great game of "monkey-in-the-middle!" It was a wonderful celebration for a great, hard-working team who deserved it! |
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Monday, November 24, 2003
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Mike and I had the morning and early afternoon off to enjoy the warm weather and sunny skies. We headed to the beach where we were greeted by military patrols and sunning Iguanas. The temperatures were so warm, and the Caribbean water was so blue. Although we missed our families, we knew that the time here had been way too short. Guantanamo is a very special place with very special people that will forever be stamped in our minds.
After enjoying the sun for a few hours, we packed our suitcases and grabbed lunch for the ferry ride back to the airport. Coach Michele and Stephanie escorted us to the ferry. We sadly waved goodbye to our new friends, the base, and to the sunny weather as we boarded the tiny plane to head back to the Northeast and home. The ground dropped away below us as the plane climbed rapidly into the humid atmosphere. Even now, as I close my eyes, I can still see the blue Caribbean water and Palm trees against the horizon. Then the island is swallowed up by blue sky. |
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