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ATTLEBORO

"Ma, I'm a cheerleader."

That's how John Petrarca broke the news to his mother that he had joined Attleboro High School's winter cheerleading squad, and was darn proud of it.

"I just came home one day and said it," said Petrarca, a 17-yearold senior. "It was one of those, 'If you do it, I'll do it' things."

He's talking about Nick "Maz" Mazurkiewicz, 16, his sophomore buddy on the football team. That's right, they're two football players who became jumping, tumbling and cheering spirit raisers in the off season. They also became the first ever male cheerleaders in the school's 150-year history, going from members of the Blue Bombardiers to the Bomb Squad.

In their own way, they hope they're quashing some cheerleader-related stereotypes and setting up the scene for others to follow suit, becoming star athletes in a sport whose athletic merit some still question.

"I see us setting an example," Petrarca said. "I'm happy I did it."

Cheerleading, of course, is most often associated with females, but it's history is highlighted with contributions by men.

According to the British Cheerleading Association Web site, American Cheerleading actually began with Johnny Campbell, a University of Minnesota undergrad, who, in 1898, directed football spectators in a rousing yell.

The first pep club came even before that - 1870 at Princeton University, started by men.

The same Web site said that women really became active in cheerleading in the 1920s.

Though now far outnumbered, men, especially at competitive and collegiate levels, are still cheering, though it isn't always easy.

The American Civil Liberties Union threatened last summer to sue Michigan over a state code that barred co-ed cheerleading squads from competitive cheer.

At Attleboro High, things are going a bit smoother. Maz, as he prefers to be called, said he got into the spirit after attending, essentially, every fall cheerleading practice.

"They all joked that I should join the team, saying, 'You know everything,'" he said. "I was actually thinking about it, but I wasn't going to be the only dude doing it."

So he talked Petrarca, who also was known to watch a practice or two, into joining him.

They officially became Bomb Squad members last November.

They didn't have to try out, but learning the routines and gymnastics was tough.

"The first day - no, the first week - of practice, I couldn't walk," Mazurkiewicz said.

"We just had to catch on with everything as fast as we could," Petrarca said. "Timing is a big thing, and there's always something new. It's very hard, trying to combine words with motions and having a good technique while you're doing it."

They learned back handsprings in two weeks, a move that takes some girls years to get down. Maz has become proud of his toe-touches - a jump where you spread your legs and extend your arms to meet your toes mid-air.

They both attribute their gymnastic abilities to football training.

But there have been trials: Just last week, Petrarca got a bloody nose when a teammate "landed weird" off a basket toss.

They're working different muscle groups in cheering then they do during football, and both said they never realized how hard cheerleaders practice.

"It's an abusive sport," Mazurkiewicz said. "You get hit all the time."

Both say the entire squad and Coach Natalie Ferrara have been welcoming and supportive.

When they're made of fun by classmates - something they said they knew was inevitable - it's the Bomb Squad girls who come to their rescue.

"They back us up all the time," Petrarca said. "They helped us out, and support is big to us. They should get more recognition than we do."

While they acknowledge that their status at football players might have alleviated some of the teasing, they hope more male students will catch on and allow the co-ed squad to continue after Petrarca graduates this spring.

The boys presence has allowed the squad to master some higher level stunts, like one-mans, where they can launch a girl into the air, and will allow them to enter co-ed competitions.

"They add a whole different dynamic," Ferrara said. "I absolutely love having the guys around. I think they have a great sense of discipline and desire to achieve."

Right now, the squad is practicing for its first co-ed competition, an invitation (non-qualifying) event next month.

Though they don't do the team dances at games, the boys will be joining in then.

"It's three minutes of constant yelling, dancing and jumping," Mazurkiewicz said. "It's all about spirit. You gotta smile."