Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads

Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads at the Minnesota State Fair

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Spirit Squads comprise the cheerleading organization at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota.^[1] Being the first program ever to form worldwide, the University of Minnesota is the Birthplace of Cheerleading.^[2] Today, there are four separate squads: a co-ed squad, an all-girl squad, a basketball cheer squad, a dance team, and a hockey cheer squad. The Goldy Gopher mascot is also a part of the program. The squads consistently perform well at national competitions including a 4-peat in dance. Their current head coach is Sam Owens.

History

Johnny Campbell

The precursors of cheerleading began appearing at Princeton University in the latter half of the 19th century. In the 1880s when a Princeton graduate name Thomas Peebles brought the game of American football to Minnesota, he also brought the idea of organized fan cheers. It wasn't until 1898 after a losing streak in football, a Minnesota student name Johnny Campbell began leading cheers forming a squad of yell-leaders for the football game between Northwestern University and Minnesota. Minnesota won the game 17-6 with the credit for that victory largely going to Campbell and his squad. ^[2][3]

In the 1920s, gymnastics and other athletic motions were first incorporated into routines by Minnesota's cheerleaders. It was also at this time that cheerleading transformed from a largely male activity to a largely female activity.^[2][3]

Today though the pioneering is now dominated by all-star programs and cheerleading schools, the Minnesota Spirit Squads continue to lead at the collegiate level consistently reaching national finals and finishing in the top 10 as Cheerleading is changing from being an activity in support of other sports into a sport of its own.^[4]

Squads

Co-Ed Cheer

The Co-Ed Cheerleading squad size varies from year to year, but always has a healthy mix of men and women. Mostly they appear at Gopher football and basketball games and are an annual participant of UCA Finals.^[5]

All-Girl Cheer

This squad has all women as members.^[6]

Basketball Cheer

This squad cheers specifically at Men's and Women's basketball games. They are coed with a limited number of men, though recruitment of males is ongoing throughout the year.^[7]

Dance Team

The Minnesota Dance Team consists of around 15 women dancers. Typically they perform at Gopher football and basketball home games as well as post-season play. Between 2003 and 2006, these women won four straight national championships in UDA competitions.^[8]

Hockey Cheer

Although the Minnesota Spirit Squads compete annually in national competitions, the Hockey Cheer is now the only non-competitive squad in the program. The all female squad competed at Collegiate cheerleading camps until the mid 1990's. This squad, cheers at every regular season home and post-season neutral site game of men's ice hockey. On occasion they also appear at pep fests and other Golden Gopher sporting events. In general, there are anywhere between 9-15 cheerleaders, usually around 12. They are known for their figure skating abilities and perform on-ice stunts, the complexity of which set this squad apart from other hockey cheerleaders, particularly at the collegiate level.^[9][10] Despite stunting now being somewhat limited, they continue to use modified stunts, figure skating abilities, and uniform selections that critics favor among collegiate squads.^[11]

Members of the 2007-08 squad portray cheerleaders for a fictional high school hockey team in the 2008 film Killer Movie directed by Jeff Fisher and starring Paul Wesley and Kaley Cuoco.^[12]

Some Minnesota hockey fans refer to them as the Squad of the Unattainable.^{[citation needed]}

Goldy Gopher

^[13]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cheerleaders