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A spirit that is not afraid

Day in the life of Auburn cheerleaders: Turning love for one's team into responsibility

It's Saturday night and Jordan-Hare is spilling blue and orange lights and a multitude of sounds can be seen and heard all over Auburn. It's below freezing and the Tigers are falling behind as fans of little faith trickle from their seats to find warmth and enjoyment elsewhere as their team struggles to throw points to the jumbotron. 

Despite all circumstances, one can expect the Auburn University Cheerleaders to stand firm on the field, as they have a job to perform and a team to support. 

Starting about four hours before the game, the cheerleaders can be found on the field getting signs and flags ready for the impending kick-off. The team is made up of 10 male cheerleaders, 10 female cheerleaders and one mic-man. 

Auburn cheerleaders practice for two hours Monday-Thursday night and cheer for other sports as well as football.  

Jackson Walraven, senior in mechanical engineering and co-head cheerleader, is in his third year with the team. 

Walraven is continuing an Auburn cheer legacy, as his mother and sister both cheered for Auburn while attending the University. Walraven's sister also married an Auburn cheerleader after her time on the team. 

Each cheerleader participates in an intense two-stage audition, Walraven said. The male cheerleaders are required to demonstrate running a flag, showing spirit through cheers and stunt practice with a selected partner.

Waving the second-largest flags in the NCAA, the cheerleaders are trained to keep the flags up and untangled during runs, a task that is not an easy feat. On windy days, Walraven said focus is key in order for each run down the end-zone to be successful. 

The female cheerleaders must display a knowledge of tumbling, flipping, stunting and physical agility along with similar skills demonstrated by the men. 

Sommer Henry, senior in journalism and co-head cheerleader, has also been cheering for Auburn the last three years. Henry was "very nervous" the first time she tried out for the team. 

"Auburn cheer isn't like any other program," Henry said. "It's not just about your skill, but it's about how much you love Auburn. The first part of the tryout is technical skills and they make a cut, then it's the interviews. For the interview, your technical score is thrown out and it's a fresh start. It's all about how much you love Auburn and why you should be selected to be a cheerleader." 

Both co-head cheerleaders didn't see themselves cheering in the beginning. 

"I didn't cheer in high school and I never thought I would," Walraven said. "I played all the sports I could in high school, but I wasn't good enough to play [at Auburn]. My sister said I would enjoy the athletic side of cheering and I went for it. There were a lot of older guys I looked up to and I started to really enjoy it."

"I always planned on going to Auburn, but I was a gymnast and never planned on cheering in college," Henry said. "After a really bad shoulder injury I couldn't do gymnastics. I knew I wanted to be more than just a student, so I started cheering and loved it."  

Cheerleading is not just a family affair for the Walravens. The team has a tailgate by the Auburn Recreation Center where they meet their families and sit down for lunch before game day responsibilities begin. Going to "table" is a newer tradition and one that means a good deal to the parents, Walraven's mother said. 

After lunch with family and friends, the team heads to "The Paw", the intersection of Heisman Drive and South Donahue Drive, for group pictures. Soon after, the team begins their walk up Donahue for a short pep-rally as they prepare for Tiger Walk. 

Walraven said the crowd anticipates Tiger Walk, lining up more than an hour before the beginning. Parents snap quick photos of their children standing next to the cheerleaders as they make their way up and down Donahue Drive. 

"It's crazy once you're actually a part [of the team] and you realize how much influence you have on all the little kids that come up to you," Henry said. 

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The team doesn't stop moving after Tiger Walk and heads to tailgates around the stadium to greet fans and pose for pictures. The game is soon to follow after this stage in the day, so the team heads inside the stadium to greet the visiting team's cheerleaders. 

"Greeting the other cheerleaders is always nice, because everyone is kind and they always say how awesome our fans are," Henry said. 

"We've got one of the best crowds in the nation," Walraven said. "They're into the game and they go along with us." 

Henry said her favorite feeling is walking onto the field for the first time on Saturday and seeing the fans piling into the stadium. "Butterflies" take over. 

The cheer team takes the field before the game to "pump-up the crowd" with cheers. The game begins and the team goes into hyper-drive, ensuring that the crowd stays involved with the help of the band's music. The cheer team works with the Auburn University Marching Band throughout the game, which keeps them moving and stunting constantly. 

"When our offense is doing well, we're on a roll," Walraven said. "We are doing lots of stunts and that gets pretty intense. It's really great when we are over here gassed, our team is running on all cylinders and the band is going, it can get pretty tiring." 

At halftime the cheerleaders retreat to their hide-away under the stadium for a breather and some dinner with the visiting team. This is a chance for the team to recuperate and prepare for the second half. 

Latisha Durroh, director of community relations and spirit, is in charge of all things cheer, which includes planning, setting up and taking down the food provisions from halftime. 

"We want to make sure that all cheerleaders know that cheering for volleyball or soccer is just as important as cheering for football," Durroh said. "We want them to love Auburn and show it."

Durroh said the time commitment is something they stress during tryouts, but Henry and Walraven seem to love the group and the job, likewise. 

"Everything about Auburn cheer is amazing, the people, the friendships, the fans, the team; it really is hard to narrow it down to one thing that I love the most about it," Henry said. 


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