2011 Kickline Captains (from left to right): Karalyn Schoepfer, Lauryn Grefe, Corinne Conroy. (Photo provided by Lauryn Grefe).
While many focus on the Cortland vs. Ithaca football rivalry, a few other teams will be participating with the players from the sidelines.
Most attendees view the game from the eyes of the players, but not many see the game from the point of view of a cheerleader, kickline, or danceworks team member. Lauryn Grefe was a member (and later on captain) of the Kickline team for 7 semesters.
Grefe grew up in Manorville, NY before she started attending SUNY Cortland and graduated in 2011. As she was looking around for a college to attend, she found SUNY Cortland and discovered the Kickline team. With her passion for dancing, she applied to become a Biology major and soon joined the team.
“I think my favorite moments with the team were the sleepovers we had before competitions,” added Grefe. “Everyone was together for 48 hours and we had to get up super early to get ready.”
(Photo provided by Lauryn Grefe).
As Lauryn took a moment to reflect on her time as a Kickline member, she also looked back at her time as a Biology major. One memorable event was when she and her class went to Belize for 2 weeks.
While on the Kickline team, Grefe had performed at Cortaca as the game took place at the Cortland stadium during her Sophomore and Senior years. One notable experience she had while there happened during her senior year as her and a couple good friends were captains of the team.
Even though she graduated over 8 years ago, Lauryn keeps in contact with all her friends and looks back on her experience with the team.
When asked to summarize her years with the team, she said, “It was great! We choreographed the routines for the first time once we (Karalyn Schoepfer, Corinne Conroy and Grefe) were selected as captains. It felt amazing to try new dances.”
(Photo provided by Lauryn Grefe).
With the Kickline team performing at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, Lauryn made sure that she purchased her ticket. Her advice to the current kickline team is to “just keep on doing what you’re doing, and it will be worth it in the end.”
