By Ashley Trosper
You see them on the sidelines at sporting events, but the University of Louisville cheerleaders deserve as much front-and-center recognition as they can get. The squads have 17 national championship titles under their belt, and last year, all three U of L squads won their respective categories at the National Cheerleading Association College Championships. Although their next competition isn’t until the spring, the cheerleaders are already planning ahead for their next title.
“All of our workouts and practices lead up to nationals. It is always on our minds,” sophomore Rebecca Manns said.
“You definitely feel the pressure after winning. Everyone is out to beat you, and it adds a lot of pressure. We feel it makes us work harder,” added senior Heather Burns.
Work weeks for the three U of L cheerleading squads — the co-ed, the all-girls and the small co-ed — were scattered over the summer, and now that the football season has begun, the Cardinal cheerleaders are practicing four to five times a week.
Over the summer, cheerleaders came to campus to work on stunts and skills for their Aug. 13-17 camp held in Myrtle Beach, which, according to Manns, was the highlight of the summer and provided the Cards the opportunity to showcase their talent in front of other schools.
The main cheerleader showcase, however, is the annual NCA College Championships held in the spring. Last spring, the Cardinal cheerleaders competed in three out of approximately 12 divisions. They followed tradition and entered the co-ed and all-girl divisions, but the group also added a squad that competed in small co-ed division.
“We had so many girls try out and want to be a part that we had to create another squad,” said Head Coach Misty Hodges.
The new squad of freshman cheerleaders did not disappoint. In their first year of competing in the NCA competition, they grabbed first place. The all-girl squad added a sixth win to their five first-place titles in a row and the co-ed squad pulled out its third in a row.
“We’ve built a tradition that people want to be a part of,” Burns said. “Our coaches make us good. Coaches James [Speed] and Misty [Hodges] have built a great program. Plus, our sports teams are getting really good. We get good cheerleaders because people want to cheer for that.”
Several athletes come from out-of-state, despite the steep out-of-state tuition. According to the U of L Web site, the average tuition, which includes room and board, for an in-state student is approximately $11,200 a year. For an out-of state resident, that number jumps to $20,760.
The Cardinal cheerleaders are paying this figure although they could be receiving full scholarships from other universities like Hawaii Pacific University or even the University of Kentucky. Manns said this is a hindrance to the cheerleading program. “We’d be even better if we could give scholarships. I am sure we miss out on a lot of good cheerleaders,” Manns said.
Hodges agreed, saying that scholarships are often the first thing a young cheerleader will ask her about when deciding which university to attend. “We only can give partial scholarships because we are considered a spirit group. I especially think it affects us when recruiting. It makes a big difference to a lot of people,” she said.
