COLLEGE CHEERLEADING: CANDOR'S BENESH TAKING CHEER SPIRIT TO ELMIRA COLLEGE (2020-04-09)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
CANDOR — Rianna Benesh hasn't cheered competitively the past couple of years, but the Candor senior is ready to get back to business when she heads to Elmira College this fall.

"Elmira College is a competitive team and they also do games," Benesh said. "They go to nationals every year in Daytona (Florida) as well as other smaller competitions around the area."

It shouldn't take Benesh long to get back into the competitive spirit as a member of the Soaring Eagles.

"We didn’t go to competitions this season or last but we have in the past," she said. "When I was in seventh grade I made the varsity team and we competed my eighth- and ninth-grade years. When I was ending my freshman year of high school I started an all-star cheerleading program which is strictly competitive. We went to about 10 competitions a year and I did that for two years."

The desire to spread school spirit helped draw Benesh to the sport.

"I decided I wanted to be a cheerleader in high school because I knew how important it was for the school to have a group of people that brought spirit to the games and even school," she said. "We are expected to keep a spirited, happy attitude even when we are not in uniform, which is something I really wanted to bring around my friends and the school."

That attitude is carrying over to college.

"I really wanted to cheer in college because I want to carry on the reputation I have built myself here at CHS," Benesh said. "I want to show the girls that look up to me that doing what they love can get them far. "

Benesh has been fortunate to have a strong role model help shape her cheer career.

"My coach, Lorisa Bates, has also really encouraged me to carry on my cheerleading career," she said. "She has supported me through everything and it makes me want to continue going for her.

"The feeling of stepping on the mat on competition day is unexplainable, the amount of adrenaline you gain is insane. When you’re done and the routine has hit you feel so accomplished and I want to continue to get that feeling in college." 

Elmira College's attitude toward the cheer program was a selling point for Benesh.

"I also really like how the college really appreciates the cheerleading program and it’s just as important as basketball and hockey," she said. "We have our own practice area and we get sponsored by under amour. We are recognized as real athletes there which is something I really enjoy because I’ve been fighting for that at my school. 

"I was recruited to the cheer team back in October, they reached out to me and said they were interested in me and my skills and wanted me to be a part of their team. I went for an overnight and I got to practice with my team for a day. Being recruited and spotted out because of my skills was a huge accomplishment and something I always wanted." 

Academically, Benesh will study criminal justice at Elmira.

"I chose this major because it is something I have been extremely interested in," she said. "I love the feeling of finding out something new and with criminal justice and going into forensic analyzation or something related, you’re always going to find out new information. The possibilities are endless and I like that, I won’t get bored.

"I was attracted to Elmira because of the atmosphere there. Everyone is so friendly and it feels like home. The campus is small which is also nice, you’re not going to somewhere huge where you’re going to get lost."