Cheerleading a Real Rush for East Leyden Grad
By Danny Carlino
PioneerLocal.com
After years of attending games and concerts at Allstate Arena, Nicole Cargola gets to be part of the show in that facility.
The 2009 East Leyden graduate is poised to be in the spotlight as the youngest member of the Adrenaline Rush Dance Team when the Arena Football League’s Chicago Rush begin their home schedule against the Philadelphia Soul on Friday night at the Allstate Arena.
The trip to the game will seem short for the lifelong Rosemont resident, but the journey is a long one that began when Cargola started dancing at the age of 3.
She began participating in organized cheer and dance teams at 7 years old at the Rosemont Park District and cheered through junior high at Rosemont Elementary School. She took dance classes all along and that helped bring her to the Leydenettes poms team in high school as well as the dance team at Elmhurst College before she tried out for the Adrenaline Rush. Much credit for her talents goes out to Leyden dance coach and neighbor Brenda Drehobl who has coached Cargola through most of her dancing.
“Games were a lot smaller than this,” Cargola said, comparing her high school experience to what she’s preparing for now. “There is a lot more going on while we’re on the sidelines, and we have more routines. In high school we just performed at halftime. It’s definitely been like nothing I’ve ever done before in my life. It’s been a great experience.”
Those varied experiences have prepared her for this moment, and they’ve helped her grow into her current role. Cargola was team captain of the Leydenettes her junior and senior years and credits that leadership role for giving her greater knowledge and even more respect for what it takes to be a good dancer.
Being the youngest member of this year’s squad provides a readjustment for the 19-year old as she goes from being a leader to one of the 11 rookies on the 18-woman team.
The goal of the group is to become a cohesive unit, so it’s in everyone’s interest to give and take instructions so every performance brings the crowd to their feet.
“The veterans have been really helpful,” Cargola said. “It’s especially important to ask them questions. All the rookies have big sisters, and they help us with any problems or questions we have about our routines, and they’ve been great about getting to practice early for questions.”
The team didn’t waste any time getting its act together as it began regular practices the week after the Dec. 4 final auditions.
It’s up to team coordinator Gloria Esposito to make sure that the performance quality stays high and the rookies look like veterans in short order. She’s been a part of what is considered the best dance team in the AFL since its inception in 2001, so she knows what makes a good dancer, and she already sees great things in Nicole.
“I look for someone who has the total package — great attitude, good looks, and being personable,” said Esposito regarding the criteria she emphasizes in a prospective dance team member. “She possessed all of those qualities as well as being a great dancer. She’s always dancing full out, putting her all into everything she does. She’s definitely determined and a harder worker than I was expecting.”
That hard work is paying off in ways that Cargola and her family hadn’t imagined before now. Her parents, Frank and Dianne and younger sister Amanda, who followed big sister’s footsteps and is currently a junior at East Leyden and a captain on the poms squad, have provided an excellent support group every step of the way.
The realization that their many sacrifices have paid off for Nicole has started to set in for the family.
“I was just at their house, and they saw me on WGN (during a morning show performance with the team back in December),” Cargola said. “They never thought that from taking me to my first ballet lesson that I’d be on a professional dance team. They’ve always been very encouraging. I can’t tell of a single game or audition where they haven’t been there supporting me.”
This week the team is going for a walkthrough at Allstate Arena to familiarize themselves with the surroundings and get a sense of what performing there will be like. They will also get some practices on the field so they’ll be fully prepared when they first have to get the crowd pumped up on Friday night for the Rush’s home opener.
It will take some time to get used to, but it’s an opportunity for which she has been working her whole life.
“It’s weird going from watching games and concerts (from the stands) there to be where they perform,” Cargola said. “It will be nerve-racking having the whole stadium with their eyes on you.”
