Auburn cheer squad requirements: What does it take to be a Tigers' cheerleader?
With "War Eagle" chants filling Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Auburn cheer squad has made themselves one of the most electrifying cheerleading squads in the FBS. But what does it take to become a part of this prestigious cheerleading team that lights up the College Football atmosphere every season?
To start, the Tigers will have a single co-ed cheerleading squad for the 2023-24 season. The team will consist of 21 members (10 couples and 1 mic-man). This narrows down the list of possible recruits, and this is before we even get into the requirements for someone to join the Auburn cheer squad.
To be a part of the Auburn cheer squad, you have to be a currently enrolled full-time student at Auburn University, and only these students are allowed to apply for cheerleading squad tryouts.
On top of that, one must have expertise in an array of highly tasking skills. Here are some of the skills that were required in the 2023 Auburn cheer squad tryouts as per the Tigers' official website:
For Females: Back handspring, Standing Back Tuck, Toss Extension, Liberty, Dance to an Auburn Band Song, which may include tumbling and/or stunts, Bodda Getta, Track Em, Two Bits, an Optional Stunt, and an entrance which must include running tumbling.
For Males: Toss Extension, Liberty, Auburn Band Song, which may include stunts, Bodda Getta, Track Em, Two Bits, Optional Stunt, and an Entrance, which may include running an Auburn flag.
If that doesn't sound hard enough, the practice routine for the team will have you doing splits. The team practices four times per week and has an additional 2-3 days of training, which includes weight lifting and conditioning work. But here's the kicker: The university doesn't offer any cheerleading scholarships.
Why aren't there any scholarships for the Auburn cheer squad?
The cheerleading squads of universities across the college football landscape have some of the most tedious and taxing work ethics. But because of the NCAA's perplexing guidelines, cheerleading still doesn't officially exist.
Under Title IX Guidelines of the NCAA, cheerleading isn't recognized as a sanctioned sport. Hence, Auburn, like many other colleges across the country, has no provisions for a scholarship to be provided to cheerleading athletes.
In the case of the Auburn cheer squad, the cheerleaders are provided a stipend by the college, which ranges around $900 per semester. This is certainly a far cry from the full-ride scholarships that many collegiate athletes receive. With the taxing schedules that cheerleaders have to entail, they certainly deserve the same benefits that athletes across other NCAA sports receive.