Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Deaf cheerleader a sound performer
Susquehanna Valley High School cheerleader Sarah Dolphin twisted, turned and tumbled on the sidelines of a basketball game against Seton Catholic Central last week.
She clapped her hands, danced and helped hoist fellow cheerleaders high into the air as loud music pounded the gym.
"Get psyched!" the cheerleaders chanted. "Fight, fight, fight!"
But unlike the other girls, Dolphin's lips never moved. Dolphin is deaf and can't hear the music or the cheers.
"I feel the music and I start making connections," Dolphin said using sign language, as her interpreter, Betsy Hektor, translated.
Dolphin, 18, is believed to be the only deaf cheerleader in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference. The Southern Tier has had deaf athletes before, including Katie Egitto, who played soccer and basketball for Seton before graduating in 2005.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association does not track cheerleaders.
Nationally, it's hard to estimate how many deaf cheerleaders there are, said Gwen Holtsclaw, president of Cheer Ltd. Inc. in North Carolina, which provides programs for cheerleaders and coaches. Many schools for the deaf have cheerleaders who tumble, dance and do motions silently. But it's unusual to see a deaf student mainstreamed into a regular cheerleading squad, she said.
But Cheer Ltd. may not realize a cheerleader is deaf, Holtsclaw said. People who watch Dolphin perform may not realize she's deaf, either.
"When you watch Sarah cheer, you don't know that there's a hearing issue," said David Daniels, Susquehanna Valley high school principal, "because she's right there in step with everyone else."
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED
Dolphin was born 100 percent deaf. She's the oldest of three children of Susan and Mark Dolphin of the Town of Binghamton.
She's always been determined to succeed, even as a child, her mother said.
"Even if the other little kids on the playground didn't know how to talk to her, she would try to fix their hands to do sign language," Susan Dolphin said.
At school, Hektor -- whom she described as her "second mom" -- translates for her during classes. She also carries a small portable computer known as a Sidekick. She types in what she wants to say if her interpreter isn't around.
Several SV students have learned sign language so they can communicate with Dolphin, including Molly McGuigan, a senior.
"She gets along with everybody here," McGuigan said. "She has a lot of strength."
Dolphin, a small, thin girl with light brown hair and a broad smile, also plays soccer, runs track and spent two years playing basketball.
"Like any teenager, if she wants it bad enough, she works hard," her mother said. "She doesn't like to be told no. If you tell her you can't do this or you shouldn't do this, she will prove you wrong every time."
After Dolphin graduates in June, she hopes to attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, part of Rochester Institute of Technology. She is unsure of her career plans.
RELYING ON RHYTHM
For now, cheerleading is a big part of her life.
Cheering isn't easy, said her coach, Karen Bidwell. "Cheerleading is a sport where timing and words are very important," she said. "She compensates by watching the other girls and seeing what they're doing."
Her secret is "a lot of practice," Dolphin signed. She can read lips, and her interpreter is with her during practices and games. When they learn a new cheer, the cheerleaders practice the moves first, Dolphin signed.
"I just follow them," she signed. "Then I can feel their rhythm."
Hektor translates the words for her and she matches words with movements. "When I remember the words, I can get the rhythm," she said.
With the help of her interpreter, Dolphin also breaks cheers down into rhythms. For example, a cheer with a one-two-three count has certain moves.
During routines, Dolphin pumps her fists, sashays back and forth and claps her hands in sync with her teammates. Then, she and her teammates toss Stephanie Castelli, a junior, into the air and catch her.
"It's scary at times," Castelli said. "But I know she's there to catch me."
Dolphin has proven over and over that she can do the job, said Whitney Bieber, a senior. Bieber also flies through the air and lands in the arms of Dolphin and her teammates. "It shows that no matter what, you can always work with somebody," Bieber said.
Dolphin inspires her fellow cheerleaders, said Whitney Rosboril, a senior. "She teaches everyone a lesson," Rosboril said. "Even if you face obstacles, you have to overcome them and make the most out of life."
Dolphin has some advice, too.
"I tell everyone who has a hard time fitting in: why bother to be someone that you're not?" Dolphin signed. "You should be yourself, the person you were born to be."
Susquehanna Valley High School cheerleader Sarah Dolphin twisted, turned and tumbled on the sidelines of a basketball game against Seton Catholic Central last week.
She clapped her hands, danced and helped hoist fellow cheerleaders high into the air as loud music pounded the gym.
"Get psyched!" the cheerleaders chanted. "Fight, fight, fight!"
But unlike the other girls, Dolphin's lips never moved. Dolphin is deaf and can't hear the music or the cheers.
"I feel the music and I start making connections," Dolphin said using sign language, as her interpreter, Betsy Hektor, translated.
Dolphin, 18, is believed to be the only deaf cheerleader in the Southern Tier Athletic Conference. The Southern Tier has had deaf athletes before, including Katie Egitto, who played soccer and basketball for Seton before graduating in 2005.
The New York State Public High School Athletic Association does not track cheerleaders.
Nationally, it's hard to estimate how many deaf cheerleaders there are, said Gwen Holtsclaw, president of Cheer Ltd. Inc. in North Carolina, which provides programs for cheerleaders and coaches. Many schools for the deaf have cheerleaders who tumble, dance and do motions silently. But it's unusual to see a deaf student mainstreamed into a regular cheerleading squad, she said.
But Cheer Ltd. may not realize a cheerleader is deaf, Holtsclaw said. People who watch Dolphin perform may not realize she's deaf, either.
"When you watch Sarah cheer, you don't know that there's a hearing issue," said David Daniels, Susquehanna Valley high school principal, "because she's right there in step with everyone else."
DETERMINED TO SUCCEED
Dolphin was born 100 percent deaf. She's the oldest of three children of Susan and Mark Dolphin of the Town of Binghamton.
She's always been determined to succeed, even as a child, her mother said.
"Even if the other little kids on the playground didn't know how to talk to her, she would try to fix their hands to do sign language," Susan Dolphin said.
At school, Hektor -- whom she described as her "second mom" -- translates for her during classes. She also carries a small portable computer known as a Sidekick. She types in what she wants to say if her interpreter isn't around.
Several SV students have learned sign language so they can communicate with Dolphin, including Molly McGuigan, a senior.
"She gets along with everybody here," McGuigan said. "She has a lot of strength."
Dolphin, a small, thin girl with light brown hair and a broad smile, also plays soccer, runs track and spent two years playing basketball.
"Like any teenager, if she wants it bad enough, she works hard," her mother said. "She doesn't like to be told no. If you tell her you can't do this or you shouldn't do this, she will prove you wrong every time."
After Dolphin graduates in June, she hopes to attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, part of Rochester Institute of Technology. She is unsure of her career plans.
RELYING ON RHYTHM
For now, cheerleading is a big part of her life.
Cheering isn't easy, said her coach, Karen Bidwell. "Cheerleading is a sport where timing and words are very important," she said. "She compensates by watching the other girls and seeing what they're doing."
Her secret is "a lot of practice," Dolphin signed. She can read lips, and her interpreter is with her during practices and games. When they learn a new cheer, the cheerleaders practice the moves first, Dolphin signed.
"I just follow them," she signed. "Then I can feel their rhythm."
Hektor translates the words for her and she matches words with movements. "When I remember the words, I can get the rhythm," she said.
With the help of her interpreter, Dolphin also breaks cheers down into rhythms. For example, a cheer with a one-two-three count has certain moves.
During routines, Dolphin pumps her fists, sashays back and forth and claps her hands in sync with her teammates. Then, she and her teammates toss Stephanie Castelli, a junior, into the air and catch her.
"It's scary at times," Castelli said. "But I know she's there to catch me."
Dolphin has proven over and over that she can do the job, said Whitney Bieber, a senior. Bieber also flies through the air and lands in the arms of Dolphin and her teammates. "It shows that no matter what, you can always work with somebody," Bieber said.
Dolphin inspires her fellow cheerleaders, said Whitney Rosboril, a senior. "She teaches everyone a lesson," Rosboril said. "Even if you face obstacles, you have to overcome them and make the most out of life."
Dolphin has some advice, too.
"I tell everyone who has a hard time fitting in: why bother to be someone that you're not?" Dolphin signed. "You should be yourself, the person you were born to be."
