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The Cheer Community at USCGA

Michelle Swanson

At the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, cheerleading is more than just rallying a crowd, it’s a display of pride, discipline, and unity. The USCGA Cheer Team brings energy and motivation to every game and event, proudly representing the Academy both on and off the field. Whether we’re performing stunts on the sidelines or leading chants […]

Finding My People – the USCGA Cheer Team

Daisy Hansen

Before I came to the Academy, I was a dancer—not a cheerleader. Flipping and stunting in front of a crowd? I couldn’t even imagine it. All I knew was that I loved to perform. But joining USCGA Cheer turned out to be the best decision I made after arriving here.  I first heard about the […]

Winter Break Blues

Kailee Heron

After a fun and eventful winter break it was without a doubt hard to come back. Going from the comfort of my home and being a civilian on Long Island, NY back to New London CT was a hard transition. I was enjoying time with my family and friends, living on my own schedule, and […]

Back from Break

4/c Lilly Webster

What is it like coming back to the Academy after winter break? Hard. I am going to be honest; it was difficult coming back after living like a civilian, hanging out with my friends, and spending the holidays with my family; then going straight to challenging classes, command breathing down your neck, and military demands. […]

Welcome to Another School Year!

Ryan Condon - 2026

Let me tell you about some aspects of the Academy you may not know about. At least, these are some of the things I didn’t know before I started the school year a few months ago. Knowing some of these could make your life a little less stressful when you get here.  After Swab Summer, […]

How to be Successful at the Coast Guard Academy

Jonah Lee - 2025

Because of how much structure there is in your schedule at the Coast Guard Academy, life for me at the Academy is just like high school…on steroids! Since you are a full-time college student, while also being a full-time member of the military, also most likely an athlete or musician of some sort, also someone […]

Post-Swab Summer Transition

Gina Sobinovsky - 2026

As I made the transition from Swab Summer to the academic year, I realized that I needed to undergo a very significant mental shift of focus in order to be successful in a new environment. There was no longer a need to be on hyper alert to external stimuli like yelling from the cadre – […]

Furling

Christian Salayon - 2026

Reminiscing on my time as a swab, there is one instant I will never forget. During my time on Barque Eagle (a three-masted training ship), I was given one of the coolest opportunities and experiences of my life. For context, during our weeklong voyage from New London, CT to New York, the swabs including myself […]

Swabs and Sailing – My Cadre Summer

2/c Lauren O'Neill

Cadre Summer was a really exciting time for my class, marking the transition from being a follower and underclassman to a leader. Our summer started out with MCTC, Mid-grade Cadet Training Course, where we got to work with our cadre sections, learning about leadership theories as we developed our own leadership styles. We also had […]

Cadre Season is Coming up!

Lucas Tabit

All the 3/c are talking about which cadre they want to be now that cadre summer is slowly approaching. Whether they want to be the cadre who scream their heads off in Chase Hall at Swabs, or waterfront cadre who get to sail around all day, or AIM cadre who get to boss around a […]

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