University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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While members of Eastern Michigan and Michigan ' s Naval Color Guard raise the flag, cheerleaders pause for the national anthem. Even though the squad was funded by the athletic department, onty three men and three women traveled with the football team to away games. K. Moher photo A Superfan, ' a cheerleader, a a student who shaved a block M h his chest hair who is the biggest fan? Competition abounded on football Saturdays. K. Moh r, T. AJuranusuru and J. Wekier photos frnrn left MlCHIGANENSlAN

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F a s e Predictions Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso stopped into Ann rbor on August 30 and August 31 to host ESPN ' s College GameDay. College jameDay, a show that took place only at the biggest college football games of he year, was 90 minutes of straight college football mayhem. Herbstreit, a former 3hio State quarterback, was the source of much tension for Wolverine fans. Ibrso called Florida State home for a number of years. He not only coached the 5eminoles, but also was a star member of the team back in his prime. ESPN College GameDay festivities began August 30 on the corner of 5tate and South University. Students could attempt to catch or throw a pass, r even kick a field goal. Additionally, they could get their pictures taken with ardboard cutouts of Fowler, Herbstreit, and Corso. If students accomplished all )f these tasks they could walk away with a two-dollar Best Buy gift card. All hat work and I only get two dollars, first year LSA student Troy Mclnally said, discover Card put all of the pre-College GameDay games on, and one could valk away with prizes like T-shirts, Frisbees, and lanyards. These prizes were iistributed randomly to those in the crowd. To wrap up Friday night, Fowler and Herbstreit announced the ESPN radio show from the lawn of the Museum of It Some fans arrived at the Big House by 9:00 a.m. on Saturday to catch a glimpse of College GameDay. The Wolverines had a 9-3 record when GameDay :ame to campus for the game, and the show only came to games where the elite squared off. Filming commenced at 10:30 a.m. in the southeast comer of the Big rlouse. Despite being some of the most watched football analysts by University students, the GameDay trio had no confidence in the Wolverines. The Wolverines look good this year, but I ' m going to have to go with the Huskies on pis game today, Corso replied to Fowler ' s question about who would win the pontest. The game was one of the most exciting ever seen by University students. Throughout the game, there was a total of six lead changes. The final Lead change came in the hands of Philip Brabbs ' last second 44-yard field goal --hat lifted the Wolverines ahead of the Huskies by a mere two points with no rime on the clock, securing a season opener win. By Keegan Daniel The GameDay set was constructed at the southwest corner of Michigan Stadium. Many students were disap- oomterj oecause they could not get close enough to hear the broadcast unless they could show a ticket for the adiacent seating section K. Maher photo Kicker Philip Brabbs lies buried under the huddle after kick- ing the game-winning field goal. Despite his unlucky start, the final kick made Brabbs an instant hero. J. Weiner photo SPORTS 183

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United in Spirit We have cheered for them while walking on their hands from one side of the end zone to the other. We watched as invading visitors from the opposite team snuck into the student section of the Big House and threw marshmallows at them. We yelled strongest cheerleader and clapped as their arms shook from fatigue when holding up their partners. With pride and talent, the Michigan cheerleaders led students, alumni, and fans in supporting University athletics. Funded by the athletic department, the squad was broken into three divisions Varsity Co-ed, Varsity all-female, and Junior Varsity. Some of the girls who make the team prefer participating on the all-female squad because that is what they are used to from high school, squad captain Brianna Lupu said. For example, a girl might be used to being a base, and all the girls on the co-ed squad are flyers. It is a personal choice; neither is more privileged. Whether they were supporting men ' s basketball at Crisler Arena or Volleyball at Cliff Keen Arena, there was a cheer squad at every home event. Additionally, the varsity co-ed squad sent three men and three women to all Big Ten away games, and all cheerleaders supported the men ' s basketball team at tournaments outside Ann Arbor. Coached by Pam St. John, a former cheerleader who was a member of one of the first squads that admitted female members, the squad travels to the Universal Cheerleaders Association national competition in Daytona Beach every winter. It is such a fun, bonding experience with all of us being together for five days on the beach, Lupu said. The squads that you see placing in the top-ten on ESPN are squads like Louisville and Kentucky who have their entire cheerleading team on scholarship. Michigan isn ' t like that. Explaining that the University has neither the facilities nor the training that nationally recognized collegiate cheer teams hold, Lupu said: We compete more for fun. Rather than having competition poised at the highlight of the cheerleading experience, Lupu and the squad hold their first practice, or their Welcome Practice as the highlight of the season. Filled with games and karaoke and graced by representatives from the National Cheerleading Association who teach the squad new chants and pyramids, it brought together people who would never have talked outside of practice and set a great dynamic for the rest of the year, Lupu said. By Kristen Fidh Before the fourth down snap, cheerleaders move tner pern-poms and megaphones h an chopping moton. h additbn to this, taking cut keys fa a thrd down key play, ' and dancing to the Bullwnkle tune were some of the cheerteadhg traditions dteplayed at every game. K. Maher photo SPORTS 185