OCEANSIDE — Shortly after 9 a.m. on a recent Saturday in March, under a thinning marine layer at Alamosa Park, the Oceanside Bombers’ inaugural cheer and dance team pushed through a workout, weeks ahead of the debut of Oceanside’s new Arena Football One franchise at Frontwave Arena.
Laps. Crunches. Burpees. Then, onto the grass for choreography.
“If you’re feeling pain in your neck, you aren’t doing it right,” head coach Monica Navarrete, who has led the Oceanside High cheer team for the past five years, told the “Flight Crew,” a group of 13 mostly women, ranging in age from just under 18 to 35, as they moved through a set of crunches. “Engage your core.”
“We have a wide range of ages here, and that’s really exciting in this sport,” Navarrete said. “Some people are coming out of retirement to return, and others are trying it for the first time in years.”
Program director Rasheeda Parr, a former El Camino High cheerleader with years of coaching experience in Oceanside and a prior collaborator with Navarrete at the high school level, kept the session on track. With no practice that Monday, she reminded Navarrete to move through the conditioning quickly.
“When I was selecting who I wanted as coaches, Monica was somebody I felt would fit in the role,” Parr said. “Really, she is the perfect fit for me.”
After breaking into two groups — cheer and dance — Navarrete stood in front of the cheer squad, giving feedback with a light but firm tone. “I want to see curved booty and a chest bump every time — some of you look like a plank.”
She then pivoted to the group chat, making sure that everyone was connected.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you this — you’re all adults,” she added.
A typical week also includes evening sessions on Monday and Wednesday at a gym in Mira Mesa.
“Part of who we were looking for was not just athletes,” Parr told The Coast News. “We wanted people who are very active in the community and involved in mentorship and leadership. They’re very busy — we have students, people who work, some who are parents — so we’re just trying to balance everybody when we’re doing choreography and planning for our first game.”
The Flight Crew was whittled down from 30 hopefuls who originally auditioned for the Bombers’ first-ever sideline squad to an opening-day roster of 22 — 15 on cheer, seven on dance — though several were absent Saturday with a stomach bug.
“We did a full audition,” Parr said. “They learned the routine, performed it, and answered interview questions. We asked about tumbling skills, jumping skills. We had a full judges panel, and the scores determined who made the team.”
Cynthia Gilly, a Lake Elsinore resident who attends Palomar College in North County during the week and also cheers for the school, juggles her schedule as a mother of a toddler to make it to the squad’s three weekly practices.
“I saw that there was an opportunity with the brand-new team,” Gilly said. “Since it was new, it felt more accessible and less competitive, and it was a really nice chance to take something I already enjoy to a higher level and be part of a bigger cheer program.”
Josué Martinez, a senior at El Camino High and the team’s youngest member, also competes on the school’s track and field team. He said getting to Monday and Wednesday practices can be challenging.
“Coming from Oceanside, I get out of track at six, and then I have to travel to San Diego to make it to cheer by seven,” Martinez said. “It’s been a struggle to maintain my other responsibilities. On practice days, I don’t really have time for anything else.”
Martinez said he hopes the experience will open doors to cheer at the collegiate level.
“I’ve been doing cheer for two years, and I always wanted to continue after high school,” he said. “I thought this would be a pathway to collegiate cheer, which is really competitive. The more opportunities I have to grow my skills and make connections, the better my chances of continuing in the future.”
The Flight Crew operates independently of the indoor football team, under the auspices of the nonprofit Empowered Women Networking, which Parr runs.
“They [the Bombers] approached me about wanting to have a cheer and dance team,” Parr said. “But they said if it was going to happen, it had to be a separate entity.”
Beyond performing at games, Parr said the Flight Crew is focused on community engagement.
“Our goal this year is to get out in the community and give back,” she said. “Yesterday, we were downtown in Oceanside doing a cleanup. We’re not just trying to be a cute, pretty team — we really want to give back, partner with local businesses, and make sure people know about us.”
The Bombers open the season April 12, hosting the Beaumont Renegades.
