It was a game where IU spirit would be needed the most as the unranked Hoosiers played the defending champion Buckeyes.
That’s where IU cheerleading comes in.
“We’re a very traditional squad and we take a lot of pride in them with the school,” senior cheerleader Kori Boe said. “We want to make the alumni and the current student body proud. We’re the spirit and tradition of IU and I think we do a good job keeping those traditions alive.”
IU cheerleading consists of 58 students split into two teams. The crimson squad is the all-girls team of 32 members, and the cream squad is co-ed and made of 26 cheerleaders. Both teams hold three-hour practices three days a week.
This is all on a voluntary basis.
“One of the biggest pieces of information that everyone should understand is these kids are 100 percent volunteer,” IU Coach Julie Horine said. “They don’t get financial aid, books or their school paid for. These kids are extraordinarily dedicated and they love it.”
An average day of practice for cheerleaders consists of practice set up, stretching, warm ups, tumbling, stunting, game practice, new skills and conditioning.
The crimson team’s practices start around 5:45, beginning with “cheer chat” in the locker room, where the team discusses its plans for the week. Then the team rolls out the mats and has a group dynamic stretch.
Once the team stretches it lines up in four rows and practices tumbling, followed by a stunting warm up, which consists of seven fundamental stunts.
From there the team practices all its game material such as its stunts, pyramids and timeouts to ensure all the cheerleaders are in-sync with each other during the performance.
Afterward, the team practices new skills before conditioning and stretching. Then practice ends.
For the Hoosiers this is all in preparation for the multiple games they attend and perform at, including volleyball, football, women’s basketball and men’s basketball.
Horine said there’s no time to mess around during their practices. Since they practice three days instead of the whole week, the limited time forces them go into practice with focus.
“Practices are pretty demanding,” Boe said. “We go in, we go to work and you have to be on your game. We need to be prepared for anything and we’re expected to perform at our highest level.”
This high level requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice each week. Not only does the team go to games, but it also attends meet-and-greets where it walks into the tailgating fields to talk to alumni and families to get them excited for the upcoming game.
Boe said things are different during Homecoming.
The team performs “spirit patrol,” where it marches up and down Kirkwood Avenue with the IU marching band each Friday before a football game. The cheerleaders also perform in the homecoming parade on Kirkwood Avenue with the goal to excite everyone for the football game.
The dedication was what junior cheerleader Conner Montgomery said went unnoticed for him when he played high school football. Now as a cheerleader, he has a newfound appreciation for the sport and the dedication within it.
“I never realized what cheerleaders go through,” Montgomery said. “I was blind to it. Blind to the amount of effort put into everything and how little was actually seen at games. When I played football I was aware of cheerleaders, but I had no idea what they were trying to do and people just glanced over them. The time they put in and the effort translates into what the fans see at every game.”
What the fans saw at the Ohio State game was a full student section of more than 11,000 students who, at one point, detached the bleachers from the concrete and swung them overhead.
It was an atmosphere Montgomery took personal pride in helping create.
“Most football games people are just there to observe,” Montgomery said. “They’re not always trying to cheer. The Ohio State game had fans who where ready to do whatever to promote players the best they could. We help to create that atmosphere for the fans that puts pressure on the visitors.”
This is all a part of the “believe” motto IU cheer follows.
The motto sets the standard for IU as it performs at every game where, Horine said, it whole-heartedly considers it a privilege to wear the Indiana logo.
“I think the cheer program is 100 percent part of the game day experience,” Horine said. “They’re a part of pageantry. I’m a 100-percent believer that the crowd helps depict the finish of a game and they contribute to that. When 17,000 people yell with you, it feels like you are a part of something bigger than yourself.”
Excluding the crowd’s reaction, no matter what it is, Boe considers it to be their job to defend their teams and bring the positivity along with them.
In the end, IU wants to represent the University and what it truly means to be a Hoosier, Boe said.
“I think the definition of a Hoosier is someone who is going to support and be involved in all aspects of Indiana University,” Boe said. “They’re fans who are there for the good, the bad and they keep a positive outlook. We realize this school has so much tradition and passion with the spirit of IU. It’s something bigger than us and it’s our job to carry on the tradition, take all the history and everything the school has to offer go out on the field and represent that.”
During the fourth quarter of that mid-October day, the morale in the stands began to diminish as Ohio State pulled seven points ahead of IU. Even when some fans lost all hope, IU cheer continued its support and cheered on.
“We’re going to be positive and defend our teams no matter what,” Boe said. “We need to bring that support and positivity to represent the University. We’re going to be the ones to stay positive and create that good vibe. We represent what every Hoosier fan is deep down, we’re just the ones wearing the uniform.”
