There is no exciting sporting event without an energetic crowd, and the spirited people that bring it to life.
Long before the whistle blows or the buzzer sounds, cheerleaders take the floor, launching into daunting stunts, explosive flips and synchronized chants.
These performances demand strength, precision, endurance and teamwork. All characteristics possessed by any typical athlete, however, at Samford University, cheerleaders are not considered as such.
Despite the hours of practice, constant heavy lifting and launching and pressure to remain upbeat during all moments of a game, Samford cheerleaders are considered a support group, rather than an official sports team.
“We, sadly, technically, are not under athletics. We’re under marketing,” said former cheerleader Addie Rose Owens.
For Samford cheerleaders, this means no early registration, minimal amounts of scholarship money, a multitude of out-of-pocket expenses and having to practice off campus.
These are issues no other athletes on campus face.
Lack of accommodations and no early registration is particularly frustrating for Samford cheerleaders because their class times often interfere with their practice schedule.
“Depending on your major, you have labs and stuff,” said Owens, “So, we’ll have labs run in-between practices. Or we have 6:00 a.m. workouts… and if you have an 8:00 a.m. [class], you have to go straight from workouts looking and smelling awful.”
At Samford, practices and games aren’t the only thing the cheerleaders are required to participate in. Cheerleaders have required “appearance hours,” which entails being involved on campus in different ways to promote Samford athletics and other events.
“So, appearance hours is basically when you see the cheerleaders just standing on Ben Brown at a table or we’re doing cheers or dances,” said sophomore cheerleader Sarah Grace Reynolds. “We have to take time out of our day to dress up and go stand on Ben Brown with a big smile on our face and just shake poms.”
With this level of involvement, many of Samford’s cheerleaders find themselves in disagreement with the way they are classified. Because they are not under the athletics department, their budget mirrors that of Samford’s marketing team.
Senior cheerleader Maci Lefholz said that each member of the cheer team pays an average of $500 a year out-of-pocket for tailgating fees, travel, photos and gym rental for practice.
“We all do cheer because we love it,” said Owens. “But I mean, as a college student, it’s hard to pay that.”
Owens also described how the team does not have a spot on campus to practice, so extra time and gas money is an additional cost of membership.
“The dance team, they have the new rec center with the dance rooms, but we can’t stunt in there. We can’t tumble in there. So, we have to go off campus. And we actually have to pay with the money that comes out of our teeny-tiny budget. We have to pay where we practice at,” Owens said.
While the lack of accommodations, required appearance hours and off-campus practice are all frustrating for these cheerleaders, the majority agreed that lack of scholarship money is the biggest issue they deal with.
Tuition at a private university such as Samford is far from affordable for most. For the majority of sports at Samford, athletes can obtain full rides or even large partial scholarships. That translates into thousands of dollars saved.
The dance team, who receive lower than most other sports, averages $4,000 a year in scholarships.
Samford cheerleaders will never see more than $700 a semester.
“Your first year on the team, you get $500 just your second semester,” said Reynolds. “And then as you go up, you get $500 each semester. And when you’re a senior, you get more scholarships depending on your leadership roles. So, honestly, our scholarship doesn’t even really cover the cost of being on the team.”
After several years of dealing with these differences and setbacks, many cheerleaders find it difficult to stick with the sport. Former cheerleader Kirsten Hukill stated that often up to four girls per year quit the team.
At a well-funded university like Samford, expectations for the treatment and consideration of all athletes are high. Many people are unaware of the challenges members of the cheer team face.
“We’re always there. Even if it’s just three of us that show up to an away game or a basketball game that is over a holiday, or four of us show up to a random volleyball game just to cheer teams on. But we don’t get any recognition by early registration. We don’t get any recognition by scholarships, even though we’re going to support all these people around us,” said Reynolds. “We cheer other people on, but they’re not cheering us back on.”
Want the Crimson delivered to your inbox each week? Subscribe below!
