Wildcat athletics receive plenty of cheer at home football and basketball games thanks to the Wayne State College cheer team.

Game day setup looks very similar for football and basketball. The team arrives an hour and a half before game time to stretch, warm up, and run the routine. Once it is game time, each cheerleader finds their designated spot in line, either on the track for football, or the court for basketball.

They do stunts during full timeouts and in between quarters. Throughout the rest of the game, the cheer captains decide which cheers to perform and when. Senior captain Reagan Fries and sophomore captain Kinnley Kearns lead the cheer squad at games.

“I became interested in joining cheer because I wanted to continue cheering at the collegiate level,” Fries said.

It takes time and effort for these cheerleaders to be able to perform at so many games. So, when and how do they prepare?

“We have three practices a week, usually two early in the morning from 6-7:30 and one at night from 6:30-9:30,” Kearns said.

At morning practice, the team works on cheers and routines; at evening practice, they focus on stunting. Each practice begins with a team stretch, routine review and warm up stunts. Following that, the captains teach new choreography or clean up routines.

“I really enjoy stunting and trying new things,” Kearns said. “I also love dancing and performing during halftimes.”

Tryouts are open to anyone. The requirements at tryouts are a toe touch, jump of choice, band dance and two sideline cheers. This year, a prep is required as well, which is a basic stunt skill. Additional stunting and tumbling will add to your tryout points as well. Tryouts take place on March 27 and 28.

“My favorite thing about being a part of the team is the friendships you are able to make and have with your teammates,” Fries said.