At UND, they've got spirit, yes they do (how 'bout you?)
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 2—GRAND FORKS — Homecoming Week is a long one for the University of North Dakota Spirit Squad teams.
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It starts Thursday night with the downtown pep rally. Friday, it's open practice with alumni in preparation for a segment at the Saturday football game. Saturday morning, they march in the parade, then raise the spirit in the tailgate area before cheering for some four hours at the Alerus Center.
Altogether, it adds up to "a long three days for the homecoming stretch, but it's always my favorite weekend of the year," said Hannah Freese, head coach of the cheer team. "I think a lot of the athletes can say the same. It's a fun one."
Saturday, Oct. 3, is UND's annual homecoming game, when the Fighting Hawks meet Murray State in a 1 p.m. matchup at the Alerus Center. When the Hawks take the field, the UND Spirit Squads will be there too, engaging with the audience and taking the game experience to the next level.
For team members and coaches, homecoming is one of the few times each year when all three teams get together and perform as a group to lift school spirit.
Grace Crawford, a junior on the cheer team, said she enjoys homecoming because it gives team members a chance to see fans up close, such as during the parade.
"Talking to all the kids is definitely one of my favorite parts," she said.
The UND Spirit Squad program includes three key teams — cheer, dance and hockey cheer — as well as the Fighting Hawk mascot.
Practice for all three teams begins ahead of the typical start of fall classes. Amanda Lilleberg, hockey cheer head coach, said the teams have already gotten together to practice because they perform together in the fall's two traditional parades: Potato Bowl and homecoming.
"We're making more of an effort this year to get the hockey cheer team, the dance team and the regular cheer team together for practices," she said.
Katelin Madsen, head dance coach, said the teams try to go to each other's practices in the winter to see what each group is doing. They observe and even try out some of their routines. Trying to skate with the hockey cheer team leads to a lot of falling for the non-skating cheerleaders, but it's fun, Madsen said.
"I think it's a great way for all the teams to realize how hard all of us work and the difficulty of our sports," she said. "No team is exactly alike, so it's really fun for everyone to experience that."
Both the dance and cheer teams perform at home football games and split home men's and women's basketball and volleyball games. Hockey cheer team members also perform at some volleyball games in addition to home hockey games. Madsen said that with so many games to cover, it's great that Spirit Squad members can be spread out among the various UND teams. Doing so helps ensure cheer members don't get burned out during the busy winter months.
The hockey cheer team has a long season compared to others. Hockey season doesn't start until October, but Lilleberg said the members still begin practice ahead of the school year.
"We roll from here to prepare for the season because we have a lot to choreograph," she said. "That's our bulk season."
The difference between cheer and dance, Madsen said, is that dance focuses more on the artistic side, while cheer focuses more on things like backflips, tumbling, throwing team members in the air and more traditional cheer moves and routines.
Crawford said a big part of cheer is involving the crowd and getting it hyped.
"I think that can really change the outcome of a game and make it fun for everyone," she said.
The dance team also competes each spring in Daytona Beach, Florida, at the National Dance Alliance nationals. The group has been improving, earning fourth last year in the pom category.
"We're right on the cusp of a medal," she said.
The cheer and dance teams each have a cap of 25 members, while the hockey cheer team usually has 12 to 15. The teams are all co-ed, though only the cheer team currently has a man on the team.
The coaches are interested in having more male members.
The teams also coordinate with the Pride of the North bands, especially for traveling. The bands reserve a number of spots for Spirit Squad members to travel with them.
"The reason we are able to do a lot of those playoff games or those big games is because the band is willing to collaborate and work with us on that," Freese said.
The cheer team will sometimes go to band practices to get a feel for band routines and formations. The band provides its planned music months in advance so the cheerleaders can practice ahead of time.
Lilleberg said there are NCAA restrictions on postseason travel — particularly on how many team members can go. For the Frozen Four hockey tournament, there is a limit of 12 cheerleaders and one coach. Being able to travel can also depend on the budget available.
"Postseason, we always try to make it to those (games)," she said.
And here's a twist that occurs at home games: When attendees of a UND home football, basketball or volleyball game see the cheer group hyping up the crowd, fans may not realize it isn't the same group every time.
Madsen said she understands why people think the dancers are the cheerleaders, as everyone has pom poms.
"It's hard for the general public to tell the difference," she said. "I think when we do our media timeouts or we do a half-time (routine), it kind of helps people realize that's the dance team. But yeah, I totally understand why people get confused."
They're an important part of athletic events, but Madsen said that the Spirit Squad teams fall into a gray area where they are not labeled as athletes — even though they do train like athletes, including twice-per-week weightlifting. They don't receive scholarships.
The programs receive some funding for necessities and they have a fund through the UND Alumni Association and Foundation. Fundraising is important, especially to pay for uniforms, travel, choreographers, camps and competitions.
Madsen said the dance team fundraises about $100,000 a year, particularly for the competition season. The team sells cookies, holds car washes and cleans the Ralph Engelstad Arena between 10 and 12 times a year.
"They love to have us because the girls are so efficient," Madsen said. "So they're always like, 'hey, do you guys want to do more cleanings?' Because they get it done."
Freese said team members work concessions at the Ralph and also put on kids' camps, which are among the cheer team's top fundraisers.
Lilleberg said the hockey cheer team also hosts camps, at which children can spend three hours on the ice with the cheerleaders. They also get to perform on the ice with the team and cheer in the stands with the cheerleaders for the first period of a hockey game.
"I love seeing it," she said.
The teams also sell 50/50 raffle tickets at games.
It all means Spirit Squad program members have a number of things to juggle — classes, practices, fundraising, work and other commitments.
"There's no scholarship. There's no reason for them to do it besides the love for the sport and the love for cheerleading," Freese said. "I think that's really respectable when they're willing to make cheerleading a priority when they have so many other things to balance on their schedule."