U Musings: Cheer squads deserve more credit

UM fans watch in agony as the Hurricanes play the Clemson Tigers during Saturday's game. Hallee Meltzer // Photo Editor

Oct. 24, 2015 will be remembered as the worst loss the University of Miami has ever had. The final score, 58-0, will always remind us of how bad we can be. But, I don’t want to talk about how terrible our football team seems to be. I still bleed orange and green, and I have faith that the team will come back from this and earn a bowl game. What I want to talk about is the tremendous effort and self control exerted by the spirit squads.

The spirit squads are on the field cheering and smiling no matter what is happening on the field. In the band, we’re held to similar standards, but they’re not nearly as strict as the spirit squads’. During a game like that, everyone was getting upset; frustrated with the pace and general dismay the game was taking on. But, if you turned away from the game and watched the spirit squads, you wouldn’t even know we were getting crushed by Clemson. From the female and co-ed cheer squads to the Sunsations, no matter which team was in front of the crowd, they were full of smiles and positive energy for our Hurricanes.

I am so proud of the cheer squads and Sunsations for their ability to stay smiling and supportive, especially in front of the student section. I can’t imagine how hard it can be to smile, cheer, and perform acrobatic feats in front of an audience and student section embroiled in a tough, historic loss. When the entire stadium was feeding into the negative energy of the game, the spirit squads remained bright and hopeful, cheering with the same intensity and energy they always do. The next time you’re at a Hurricanes football game, remember the spirit squads and all the work they put in to make game day everything we expect it to be, no matter if we’re winning or losing.