When you look to the sidelines at home football and basketball games, you will always see Muhlenberg cheerleading energizing the crowd and cheering on the Mules. The cheer team is an important aspect of campus that often gets overlooked. From sports games to admissions events, the cheer team contributes so much to our campus.
The team is a club on campus, but functions like many of the 23 official varsity sports at Muhlenberg. They usually practice twice a week for two hours and have team lifts twice a week. A typical practice includes stretching, fine-tuning game-day routines and team bonding. Gabriella Moyer ‘29 said, “We show up a little early to practice to roll out all of our mats and grab our props from the cheer office. We then do light stretching in lines down the mats. Once we’re stretched, we usually get into our stunt groups and warm up any skills to get ourselves ready. We then shift into the main part of practice, which usually means running any routines we need to work on.” The atmosphere at practice is always positive, and everyone takes time to recognize their fellow teammates’ hard work. Avery Cook ‘29 mentions, “Once practice is over, we hand out our Mule chain, which is a chain we hand out to someone who has done really good at practice that day and Coach Maddy noticed. After the chain is handed out, we do our break: ‘Mules on me, Mules on three, one two three Mules.’”
All of their work at practice is currently in preparation for football game days, which are jam-packed with Muhlenberg fans. They arrive at the gym with their hair and makeup done three hours before kick-off, then warm up in the John Deitrich Field House before heading outside to get the fans ready for the day. Moyer touched on the team’s role on game day, saying, “We head out to the tailgate and sell 50/50 raffle tickets as a fundraiser. We also have a tailgate performance to get the crowd fired up. [Then] it is time for our pregame performance on the field. Once that is completed, we go to the corner of the field with our flags and run out with the football team.” After welcoming the football team on the field, the cheerleaders focus on chants, stunts and keeping fans engaged throughout the game. Cook said during the game: “We perform either band dances, pyramids or cheers during timeouts and try our best to keep the crowd loud and engaged.”
The Muhlenberg cheerleading team recently took their energy on the road, traveling to Ursinus College to cheer on the football team. This was the first time the team had ever travelled to an away game. Co-captain Alaina Hall ‘27 said, “Traveling to the away game was such a fun experience. It was a little nerve-wracking because we didn’t know until we got there if there would be a big Muhlenberg crowd since it was an away game, but luckily it was a great turnout. It was nice to be able to solidify our team’s presence at an away game where there is likely to be less of a crowd (especially the student section).”
“If I ever need anything, I know I can call my coach or anyone on the team, and they would drop anything to be there or to check on me to make sure I’m ok. This family dynamic isn’t just at our practices where we have to trust each other with our lives (literally), but also outside of practices and games.” – Avery Cook ’29
This new experience for the team is just one of the many ways they have grown as a program over the past few years. Last year, the team only had eight members and very few stunt performances. This year, they have 12 members, are now a co-ed team and can do new stunts such as half-ups and corkscrews. The team’s presence has also grown on campus. Cook said, “We’ve gained so many more supporters, especially in the athletics department at Muhlenberg. This has helped us to reach more people and to obtain more resources and funding for the props/equipment/etc. that we need to improve as a team.” The members of the team have also grown as athletes and teammates. Moyer reflected, noting, “We have grown a lot, mainly with our dedication and willingness to learn. Our team bond has strengthened as well, which always makes it a fun environment.”
The cheerleading team not only provides support for other teams on campus, but they also support each other in many ways. Cook said, “If I ever need anything, I know I can call my coach or anyone on the team, and they would drop anything to be there or to check on me to make sure I’m ok. This family dynamic isn’t just at our practices where we have to trust each other with our lives (literally), but also outside of practices and games.” Moyer added that the team helps each other through challenges on and off the mat.
Muhlenberg cheerleading is a part of athletics that plays a pivotal role in supporting other teams on campus, but they also want to be recognized for the hard work they put in. Hall reflected, “I wish that people knew how much work and dedication it takes to perform the routines and stunts that we do, and how proud we are to represent Muhlenberg (and to cheer on our sports teams), both on the sidelines/on the court and across campus.”
Charlotte ‘28 is a media and communication and political science double major. She loves watching and writing about all the different sports! When not writing for the Weekly, you can find her hanging out with friends, coloring, or binge-watching a good TV show.