Charlene Belew
Managing Editor
@CBelew15
Cameron has more than spirit. In fact, when it comes to Aggie Athletics, the Black and Gold has a full-fledged team on the sidelines at most games, eagerly cheering Aggie athletes, and their fans, to victory.
Ashton Davis, the spirit team graduate assistant, said both the cheerleaders and the dancers put in 10 to 15 hours per week of solid work, not only in weightlifting and exercise, but also in choreographing and learning stunts, performances, dances and routines.
“Cheerleaders do stunts, tumbling, jumps and all of those things,” Davis said, clarifying the differences between cheerleaders and dancers. “The dancers just do dance technique and choreography. Both routines require a lot of cardio. You have to be in shape to be able to complete the two minutes and 30 second routines that are choreographed.”
Spirit team’s season, which lasts all but one month of the year, begins around March or April after tryouts and ends in February. While dance training and other attributes to being a cheerleader or dancer are preferred, they are not required to try out and join the team.
Davis said throughout the season, the dancers complete about 20 total dances.
“They do a different routine at every basketball halftime,” she said. “Halloween and Aggie Madness are also different routines, followed by their competition routines.”
In turn, the cheerleaders perform different stunts and tumbling techniques throughout the year, along with new routines for Aggie Madness and competition.
Davis said that one thing is for certain about her spirit squad: they love every minute of being at the games.
“They do put a lot of effort into their routines and being there,” she said. “They really do love supporting the teams. They give enthusiasm for the games and sport that is playing.”
She continued to say that her spirit team does more than put pretty faces on the sideline. Davis said that both the cheerleaders and dancers alike boost morale, not only for the teams but for the audiences as well.
“They keep them motivated to work hard and play hard in their games. They also help the fans cheer on the teams,” she said. “I do really think that without the cheerleaders or the dancers the games aren’t quite as interesting or fun. There’s not as much as enthusiasm [or support] from the crowd. They tend to bring that out in the people that are there.”
For more information on the spirit team, visit cameronaggies.com.