FAIR HAVEN, N.J. — You could say Fair Haven resident Beth Putterman has a whole lot of spirit (and energy). As the head coach of the D10 Purple Cheering Squad and mom of three children, she also runs practices and choreographs the halftime routine for three other squads. Working alongside Beth are head coordinators Jocelyn Bruno and Abry Traina. Abry also serves as Beth’s Assistant Coach.

With a total of 90 girls participating, you could say the program is doing very well. Cheerleading is a sport that requires plenty of physical strength and hard work. There are important life lessons to be learned and friendships formed due to the time spent together at practices and games. We reached out to Beth to hear how the program has been going so far.

How did you get involved in this role?
Beth Putterman: I was asked a few years ago when my daughter Alexa began AYF (American Youth Football) cheer a few years ago. At the time, I was pregnant with my 3rd child and because I was a cheerleader growing up, they recruited me to assist. I told them I would be happy to help after the birth of my son. Fast forward and rewind to last year when Covid hit. So many sports including cheer were canceled. With this year being a fresh start they asked me to be the head coach for the AYF RFH cheer. I was super excited to be a part of it and take a lead role.

How did you publicize the program?
Putterman: I put together a social media campaign that all the coaches shared and we ended up with 90 girls. Cheer has always been a passion of mine and I love to watch these girls grow and gain confidence through the sport. As the season progressed, I took the role of choreographer for the halftime routines and was the head coach for weekly practices.

Tell us about the program.
Putterman: Under the umbrella of the AYF we do not have tryouts, we provide a cutoff date for enrollment. Usually, we begin recruiting for the season in March and close it by June. Although practices begin in August, there is a great deal of coach training to be done and mandatory paperwork for each child. This is where our amazing Head Coordinators and co-founder Jocelyn Bruno and Abry Traina come in. Without them, the program would not run. They are the backbone of the organization and very helpful with administrative tasks.

What are the practices like?
Putterman: The synergy of the three of us combined is what makes the program work as seamlessly as it does. Currently, there are 3 divisions (D8, D10 & D12). D8 (grade k-1) has 25 girls, my D10 purple squad (grade 2-4) has 22 girls and Jocelyn’s D10 White squad (also grade 2-4) has 24 girls. We practice together weekly and work with two amazing, high school varsity demo girls who come to our practices on Mondays to help teach cheers. We also have an expo squad that will be attending a competition in late October, that consists of 21 girls from the combination of the two D10 squads.

Who do they cheer for?
Putterman: They cheer for the teams according to their age group. The D8 cheerleaders cheer for the 9U football team. My squad cheers for the 11U football team. (There are two cheerleaders who have brothers that play on the team.) The other D10 White squad cheers for 10U, and our D12 squad cheers for the 14U football team. The season officially kicks off in mid-August and runs through October. Playoffs begin right after that, in which our season continues as we support our football teams.

How does cheerleading benefit these young girls?
Putterman: It all starts with building self-confidence and presentation. Additionally, it teaches them how to be part of a team, provides discipline, and all-around sportsmanship. Physical fitness is also a large component and can help with motor and coordination skills.

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