WHAT’S INSIDE
SPORTS 1–2
NEWS 3
OPINION 4
CULTURE 6 I SSU E
23
The Independent Student Voice of Boise State Since 1933
Volume 23
First Issue
F R E E november 01, 2010
Why negative political ads are bad
3
ASBSU adjusts spending habits
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6
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Student club addresses citizenship
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ARBITERONLINE.COM
5
Is cheerleading a sport? “When you look at it, these kids are athletes, and just because they aren't considered an athletic team, they are still athletes in their own right,” Stevens said. It’s a time-old question that is often accompanied with great debate. In the CavenWilliams Sports Complex practice room the consensus opinion seems to option away from being a sport NCAA-sanctioned sports have endless restrictions and rules, including everything from public appearances to practice restrictions. Coaches, players and staff of NCAAsanctioned sports must go through hours of compliance training just to understand the rules placed on them. During the past football off-
season, the media had a field storm with the sanctions imposed on teams such as those from University of Southern California and University of North Carolina for not complying with NCAA rules. “If you’re a sport, you have to have a certain amount of sanctioned events against other schools," Sanders said. "So we would be losing a lot of community appearances and community involvement just to turn into a competition squad.” Even though the highly athletic and intense practices the squad goes through every week would have some athletes fatigued and on the floor, the Bronco cheerleaders are comfortable with their place at the university.
Photos by nik bjurstrom/THE ARBITER
Boise State's cheerleading squad has built a strong reputation throughtout the nation for being one of the best.
BSU cheerleaders
bring it on Defending national champions prepare for fierce, competitive season Nikki Hanson & Brittney Johnson Arbiter Staff
The Boise State cheer team feels it deserves recognition for the countless hours of hard work they put into preparing for Bronco Nation sporting events. Many Bronco fans don't realize the devotion the cheer team commits to ensure spirited Bronco representation. In fact, people expect the cheer team to always be there, especially at football games. However, what many are unaware of is that the cheerleaders’ game day starts before some most people are out of bed. “These kids come to a game four hours before the game starts. I don’t think people understand that. We come four hours before the game and then you have a three hour game. The kids are here between seven and eight hours every game day,” head coach Julie Stevens said. Senior Bre Sanders, women’s cheer captain, has been a BSU cheerleader for four years. She is familiar with the dedication necessary to be on the cheer team. “It is a gigantic time commitment with practices, but also with cheering, not just for football, and not just for basketball, but
soccer, volleyball, and men’s basketball and women’s basketball,” Sanders said. The squad practices 10 hours a week. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 12:30-2:30, and Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30-1:30. But in the spring, the team practices from 11:30-1:30 in preparation for nationals. It is a balancing act for the team to juggle practice times with class schedules. “You can’t get the classes that best fit you, but you have to get classes that best fit your schedule around practice and games,” senior men’s cheer captain Wes Boggan said. “But last year I had to miss an hour of practice Monday, Wednesday, Friday because my accounting class was only taught during practice time, so I was missing the last hour or the first hour.” In addition to cheering for Bronco sporting events, the cheer squad is also involved in the community. The team looks for every opportunity to give support to local events such as elementary school rallies, education conventions, support for cancer patients at St. Luke’s hospital, and much more. “They do a lot in the community,” Stevens said. “I think it’s really important that the kids are good role models in all
aspects.” The team labors tirelessly to stay in peak performance shape, especially after winning the national championship last year. “I think the biggest thing is that we’re trying to improve and get better every year. Competing is just one small part of what we do, after you win a national title then next year you want to come back and win it again because you are a national defending champion,” Stevens said. The success of the Broncos last year has gained additional acknowledgment for the team. But what many of us do not know is that it is the cheerleaders’ responsibility to raise the $700 for nationals. The BSU cheerleaders feel strongly that they deserve respect and recognition for the hard work they put in. This is a team that has a tenacious work ethic in their support for Boise State athletics and the community as a whole. “As long as the kids get the respect of how hard they work and what they do, then I’m happy with that,” Stevens said. “But my biggest pet peeve is when people say that they aren’t athletes. No, they are athletes, just not an athletic team. In our right we are athletes and we are our own athletic team.”
Cheerleaders are student-athletes too Even without NCAA regulations on the squad, there are still high standards in place for the Broncos. Between practice, school, sporting events, public appearances and competition these men and women are spread thin. The team is required to hold at least a 2.8 GPA and take at least 12 credits, while spending enormous amounts of time representing the university. Most members of the team have scholarships, but there are no full rides available because of funding. School comes first for the squad and sometimes that means making sacrifices.
“Our coaches tell us not to have night classes on Thursday or Friday night," Boggan said. "Sometimes I do have to miss classes." Balancing life, school and cheer is not always easy, especially when classes have to be missed. Stevens’ philosophy is if a student excels, then the professor will be a lot better about letting someone miss class. Sanders and Boggan said that balancing school, cheerleading and life only gets easier with time. “After four years it’s nothing. It’s like second nature," Boggan said.
Game days are serious business The football team isn’t alone when it comes to putting in lots of hours on game day. Eight-hour days are second nature to the cheerleaders when it comes to supporting BSU's nationally-recognized athletics. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. The squad is expected to be ready for football games four hours prior to kickoff. The afternoon is full of appearances, including the walk of champions and Alumni Center performances. “When the Athletic Department asks us to do something we really try hard to accommodate and do anything that we can because we are in the Athletic Department," Stevens said. "That’s why we’re here, that’s why cheerleaders are here. We are supportive of the athletic teams. I think the Ath-
letic Department in itself really appreciates what the kids do.” After the appearances, the squad still has three to four hours of cheering to do at the game “As we get a little more in the spotlight with the football team, we’re trying to bring our program up to the level of their program,” Stevens said. This spotlight brings more opportunity for appearances and performances along with a lot more interest at team tryouts. The past Fiesta Bowl victories also created a spotlight for the squad. Even junior quarterback Kellen Moore’s Heisman Trophy hopes have the cheerleaders busting out a signature pyramid that ends with a flyer posting up on Sanders' knee, then busting out the Heisman pose.
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