Screaming, chanting and cheering are all popular activities fans enjoy taking part in while watching the action on the field during a football game. Combining the cheers with tumbling, pyramids and stunts while everyone in the stands is watching may be nerve-racking, but that’s the job of a cheerleader.
The ability to cheer during the football and home basketball games goes right alongside the ability to perform stunts, back tucks and many more positions that are required to be on the cheerleading squad.
The cheerleaders don’t just practice their toe tucks or pyramids. In fact, the team gets together in Carmichael Gym twice a week and devotes one hour before their regular three practices to lift and get in physical shape.
The squad is divided into two teams: large coed and small coed. The large coed team consists of 21 members and the crowd can see them cheering at all the home men’s basketball game as well as some gymnastics meets and wrestling matches. Twelve cheerleaders are selected to travel to away football games and all cheerleaders support the football team at home.
The small coed team performs traditional coed stunts at the home football games and women’s basketball games. They also practice once a week with the large coed team and are considered to be at the varsity level.
The team is headed by Harold Trammel. Trammel, who graduated from N.C . State in 2000, was a two time cheerleading captain and MVP.
Kyleigh Garrison, sophomore in Communication, has been on the large coed squad and competes under Coach Trammel. According to Garrison, she enjoyed football season more because she understands it better, but is excited for the upcoming basketball season and nationals in the spring, which the team as begun preparing for.
“Cheering at the Carolina game was definitely the most exciting,” Garrison said. “I’ve been to the last two games and watched them but I had never cheered at one before and so it was really exciting to finally get to cheer at one.”
Cheering at Carter-Finley, the fans are at eye-level when she and her teammates go up in the air. As exciting as it is to see the whole field from the stands, she’d rather be on the field.
“Sometimes when I go up in the air, fans are like screaming at me and pointing at me because they are eye-level,” Garrison said. “But you feel a part of the game cheering on the field and I like the atmosphere of it better than spectating even if you can see more of the whole field.”
And no matter how cold it is, the cheerleaders are still cheering until the very end of the game. They are the true fans who pack on layers, keep moving and still have a smile on no matter how the football, basketball, gymnastics and wrestling teams are doing.
Olivia Blackwood, sophomore in animal science, was one cheerleader out of several who had the opportunity to travel to Charlotte the day after Christmas and cheer on the Wolfpack during the Belk Bowl.
“My experience at the bowl game was a lot of fun,” Blackwood said. “We did several different pep rallies and saw many places in Charlotte. Getting to go to the Carolina Panthers’ stadium was incredible because it was huge and so many fans were there, closer to you than if we were cheering at Carter Finley.”
With football season over, the squad has transitioned into basketball season and is preparing for nationals. Their routines can be seen at men’s home basketball games as Nationals approaches. Their practice schedule remains pretty much the same as well as their energy, no matter how good or how bad the Wolfpack is doing.
