Hockey Cheerleading - A great way to continue skating in college

[GopherCheer]

Hello Everyone,

I'm the Assistant Coach of the University of Minnesota Hockey Cheerleading team and I just love how the sport of hockey cheerleading offers figure skaters a whole new way to continue to not only skate, but to perform.  I'm interested in hearing if anyone else has gone down this path in order to continue skating and what other colleges (besides Duluth, North Dakota, St. Cloud and Mankato) has a team like this. 

I'd be interested to know what other figure skaters think of this option.  To see photos/videos about my team, you can visit our facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Minnesota-Hockey-Cheerleading/9298707443

Thanks!
Rachel

[FigureSpins]

Welcome to skatingforums!  You and your team members are definitely welcome to share your experience and knowledge.

I didn't think I'd like this idea, but I do, especially if it offers some scholarship opportunities for collegiate figure skaters.  Is this considered an NCAA Club or Varsity sport?  At first glance, I assumed it was a Club sport, but if it could be tied into the Cheerleading program, it could be Varsity.  Obviously, it would have to be at a Division that allows athletic scholarships.

Do you have recruiting or tryouts?

[SK8N]

We have hockey cheerleaders at our rink.  They cheer for one of our hockey teams.  I don't know much about hockey, so I'm not sure which team it is.  None of the colleges in the area have it though.

[FigureSpins]

I know the pro hockey teams have cheerleading squads, but I can't say I've ever actually watched what the cheerleaders do during their routines.  If they're wearing skates, they must be skating, right? (As opposed to standing on/off the ice doing traditional cheer routines.)

ETA: Looks like it's a little bit Synchro, a little bit Rock & Roll (aka: singles):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGuf2LdFnTg&feature=player_detailpage&list=ULkGuf2LdFnTg#t=99s

I was expecting something more like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESdrmzHnqi8

The first one looks like they're having a lot more fun and I'm sure the crowd appreciated it more.

[Skittl1321]

Does this activity take away eligibility for USFSA?  Or is it a sanctioned activity?

I know a local synchro team received a warning when they skated at a break during the minor league hockey team's game, because they hadn't done the paperwork for approval.

We don't have anything like this with our local hockey teams.  The collegiate team doesn't have anything like it, and the minor league team has cheerleader-type girls, but they are off ice.

[GopherCheer]

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=10101712142709220

Thanks so much for your feedback!

[FigureSpins]

The more I hear, the more I really like this!  

It is far less fussy than synchro and provides a team activity that showcases not only team skating, but individual skating as well.  The more recent video was excellent, even with the mascot's zamboni imitation.

I would never have thought about incorporating figure skating under another sport's umbrella.  That really opens the door for figure skaters and lets them perform regularly rather than compete.  (Some skaters don't like to compete and exhibitions/shows are far less expensive, especially in this venue.)  

For those who do want to compete, I could see this being added to USFS Collegiate competitions or picked up as an ISI event, once more teams are set up.  That could be a foot in the door to creating a championship event.  

Skittl - our synchro teams and performance groups perform at the local NHL team's halftime shows.  It's just a matter of the coach/skating director filing the sanction request with the USFSA to get approval, assuming no performance fee is being paid.  Our NHL team provides discounted tickets for the skaters and families, so they're putting bodies in seats, not paying us anything.

Can you tell us how often your skaters practice, both individually and as a team?  Do you have ice time reserved for full-team workouts?  What's the season?

[hopskipjump]

What a fun way for skaters to continue to enjoy skating and teammates!

[FigureSpins]

There are already a handful of teams across the US:

University of Minnesota
http://www.gophersports.com/sports/spirit-squad/spec-rel/hockey-cheer.html

University of Minnesota - Duluth
https://umd.collegiatelink.net/organization/hockeycheerleading

Minnesota State University (Division III)
http://www.msumavericks.com/sports/2009/12/2/GEN_1202092551.aspx?


St. Cloud State University
http://www.stcloudstate.edu/campusinvolvement/campusspirit/cheer/HockeyCheerTeamPictures.asp

Salem State (Div III)
http://www.salemstatevikings.com/sports/2009/1/23/GEN_0123090030.aspx

Boston University (informal)
http://dailyfreepress.com/2011/03/02/bu-figure-skaters-look-to-bring-pep-to-men%E2%80%99s-hockey-games/

University of Southern California
http://www.uscicehockey.com/icegirls/

Iowa State
http://sodb.stuorg.iastate.edu/view-details.php?id=247#special-activities

University of North Dakota
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-University-of-North-Dakota-Hockey-Cheer-Team/293791143998807?sk=info

I'll add onto this list as I find more squads.

[Skittl1321]

It is really interesting to see the teams that are literally cheerleading with ice skates on.  

Usually hockey cheer skaters (for minor leagues) cheer in the stands and skate on the ice...  If they skate at all.  Or they function as a dance team on ice.  The lifts/stunts are impressive.

[GopherCheer]

I am SO happy to see a high level of interest in the team and the sport.  FigureSpins, thank you for the compiled list - these are all teams that I have heard of and my team is very familiar with Duluth, North Dakota, Mankato and St. Cloud because our hockey teams play against each other very often.  I have recently reached out to Boston U (which is actually a figure skating club).

I would absolutely love for hockey cheer to have some sort of national competition, whether in USFS or ISI and that's my primary reason for reaching out - we would love the sport to grow. 

The University of Minnesota also has a synchro team, but they have club status and the girls have to pay for their own ice time and competitions.  The hockey cheer team members do not pay for their practice ice and they also skate for free during public sessions (M-F 11-1 pm). We practice from 6-8 am MWF (so that it doesn't interfere with class schedules) and all girls are required to perform at every home hockey game (usually about every other week from October-February, not including championships if the hockey team makes it).  They are also involved in a number of fundraising and volunteer community events, such as the Polar Bear Plunge and Relay for Life.  This year we are thinking of including some conditioning sessions as well.  Needless to say, being on the team is a very large commitment and the girls take their role very seriously.

The girls do pay $350 at the beginning of the season, which goes towards their apparel for the year (a Minnesota skating dress, poms, shoes, t-shirts, warmups, etc...), but get lots of things in return over the course of the year ... not including the amazing experiences (this year 10 girls were sent to Tampa, FL to cheer at the Frozen Four).   

Skittl1321, I'm pretty sure that the team is sanctioned by the USFSA, but you'd have to ask the head coach about that (she is a USFSA member and coach).

[SK8N]

Our rink team is not a high school team.  They are high schoolers, but we don't have hockey in high school here.  They are all from various high schools.  We only have about 10 cheerleaders, but they do skate, not cheer from the stands.  An axel is required to even make the team, but many of the members can do doubles.

[GopherCheer]

Interesting - so which team do they cheer for then?  And where are you located?

[PinkLaces]

My sister was a hockey cheerleader for Northern Michigan University way back in the day - late 80's/early 90's.  They would perform on ice between the 2nd and 3rd periods.  Not sure if they still have it.  One problem they ran into was having enough girls that could skate and wanted to cheer.

[VAsk8r]

I love this! Welcome to skatingforums.

Do you have to be attending the university with which the hockey team is affiliated to be on the hockey cheerleading team? We have a large university with a club hockey team in my area. I'd love to see something like this develop, although I'm not sure if the university has enough skilled figure skaters to supply us with a cheerleading team. And of course, I'd want to be on it, but I'm not in school and couldn't do some of the skills U of M requests at tryouts anyway.

[GopherCheer]

PinkLaces, that's awesome! One of my colleagues was mentioning that her best friend was a hockey cheerleaders at Michigan State University, so it sounds like hockey cheerleading did used to be widespread in the past. 

VAsk8ter, yes you do need to be a student of the University of Minnesota to be on the team.

You definitely need to have super high-level skaters to start a hockey cheerleading team.  When I myself first joined the team (I cheered on the team 04-08), there were very few skaters, the skating level has just grown a lot over the past years.  Take a look at some of the other teams listed by FigureSpins - although these teams' skaters aren't all as advanced, they can still do interesting choreography.  You gotta start somewhere. 

[SK8N]

Interesting - so which team do they cheer for then?  And where are you located?

We have teams sponsored by the rink, and they cheer for one of those teams.  Sorry, I don't know enough about hockey to know which division they cheer for.  I'm located on the east coast of Central Florida.

And our current number of cheerleaders for this year is only 6.  Guess it's shrunk since it 1st started, which was just last year.

[PinkLaces]

GopherCheer - ISI has that new collegiate program.  http://www.skateisi.com/site/contentPDF/Membership/CollegiateTeamRegistrationForm.pdf It looks like it's mostly individual and syncro.  Contact Randy.  Tell him what you are interested in. He may have other resources for you or help you develop something. He was great about helping me with my daughter's high level ISI ice dance test.

I am local to you.  My DD graduates in June.  She was accepted to the U, but decided to go to Gustavus instead.  They have a syncro team but it is pretty low key from what I've heard.

[Robin]

I do always seem to be the contrarian.    I just don't see this catching on in New England at all. Cheerleading in general here isn't what it is in other parts of the country. Trying to find enough collegiate women at one college who not only skate but who also aren't turned off by the very idea of cheerleading would be difficult indeed.

By the way, the hockey cheerleaders at Salem State don't skate.

Last I checked, there was still no hockey cheerleading program at BU. That article is now 2 years old and whatever it was doesn't seem to have gotten off the ground. Maybe the sex scandal and alleged rape incidents involving their hockey players dampened interest.

Best of luck to you, though!