The spirit squads at the University of Minnesota, hockey cheer team included, have status as Division I teams. However, since the hockey cheer team does not currently have a national competition, NCAA is not incredibly strict about it following their rules. We do have similar requirements, however, such as having at least a 2.5 GPA and enrolling in at least 14 credits, etc... We also follow ACA (American Cheerleaders Association) rules.
I know that some of the other hockey cheer teams (Duluth for sure) only have club status, but it would be great if their programs were included in the athletic departments.
In the past there have been scholarships offered, including a $500 book scholarship for all participants. However, in past years that has dropped down to $200 due to budget cuts and it might not be offered at all in coming years, we never know.
SK8N, is the hockey cheer team that you're referring to a high school team? Many high schools have hockey cheerleaders, but they don't do what the U of M team does (they are not skaters, they do not cheer in the stands, they do not do lifts/stunts, etc...). In fact very few hockey cheerleading teams incorporate skaters, which I think is unfortunate.
Tryouts JUST occurred last weekend, but if you want an idea of the requirements, you can look at the tryout packet, here:
http://www.gophersports.com/sports/spirit-squad/spec-rel/tryouts.html. You need at least one double jump to be a competitive contender for the team and we put a lot of emphasis on flexibility as well. However, we mostly just look for comfort on the ice - and cheerleading skills (sharp motions, dance experience) is a plus.
Thanks for posting the videos - those ones are pretty old. The first one is from one of our "special performances", which we do three times a year. The second video is of our usual game material, which we perform before every game and in between periods. Here is another example of a more recent special performance:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10101712142709220Thanks so much for your feedback!