Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Temperatures near freezing force Susan Bury and Michael Brill to huddle for warmth. The snow and cold failed to damp- en the band ' s enthusiasm, however, as they cheered for the Bearcats. Photo by Kevin Fullerton Flag Corps member Judy Was- co takes advantage of a lull in the game to put on a pair of long Johns. Corps members were allowed to wear extra clothing between perfor- mances to battle cold weather. Photo by Mark Strecker Bobby Bearcat dismounts from Erik Toft ' s shoulders. Bobby was presented the Most Im- proved Mascot Award by the National Cheerleaders Associ- ation. Photo by Kevin Fullerton Hard work and dedication pay off for Syl Heeler and Kevin Weisz at the conclusion of the halftime show. Up to 15 hours of practice went into every show. Photo by Kevin Fullerton Spirit Boosters 1 1 I

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spirits fly liigh Teaming up to boost enthusiasm rS chool spirit. Some thought of it as nothing more than supporting the Bear- cats and ' Kittens by attending athletic events. To others, however, it meant something more. It involved supporting the University in as many necessarily want them to do aspects as possible. Whether as a fan, cheer- leader or band member, stu- dents found ways to be true to their school. Many saw Northwest stu- dents as extremely dedicat- ed. I thought for a small school, we were downright spirited, Heather Rogers said. Everyone was proud of the school. You could see the Bearcat on sweatshirts, and those little pawprints were showing up everywhere. Things like that got people into it. Although the pawprint idea was relatively new, it showed up on the streets, on banners and on Advantage ' 87 T-shirts. 1 kind of thought it would catch on, Lx)ri Tyner-Weddle, assistant admissions director and creator of the idea, said. I thought some little thing like that would get people ex- cited. The pawprints added a nice touch. While the pawprints pro- vided another reason for Northwest students to get spirited, groups like the cheerleaders, the band, and the athletic teams created a cause for their excitement. The cheerleaders ' goal was to support the team by warm- ing up the crowd. We tried extra hard to get the crowd involved, Brenda Baker, cheerleading co- captain, said. We didn ' t every cheer along with us, but they joined on some of the chants to let athletes know we were there. The cheerleaders seemed to have a positive effect on the athletes. We let them know some- one cared what they were do- ing for our school, Nancy Dumont, cheerleading spon- sor, said. We showed them we were behind them. School spirit played a de- termining role in the nature of the games. Fan support got the foot- ball team going, Phillip Quinn said. When we came out, the fans were cheering and the band was playing, and it made us play harder. I always thought. These peo- ple are behind us, so let ' s show them what we can do. ' When one thought of Northwest, the mascot in- evitably came to mind. Bob- by Bearcat, a lively character, played a big role in school spirit. 1 was a people person, and I loved little kids, Stephen Griswold, who por- trayed Bobby Bearcat, said. It made me feel good to put smiles on people ' s faces. I liked to get things started that caught the crowd ' s attention, like the wave or chants. It was difficult for some spirit boosters to keep smil- ing when fans were less than enthusiastic. The spirit boosters gener- ally agreed it could be some- what frustrating when it seemed no one was paying attention to them. However, Dumont contended even though it was tough, the cheerleaders knew they had to portray a positive image all the time. Baker said she was able to keep going because of her excitement about what she was doing. We practiced every day and put a lot of work into everything we did, from the smallest cheer to the most complicated pyramids, Bak- er said. The marching band also put a lot of work into practic- ing. Although their main pur- pose was to entertain, their halftime performances and pep music during the games gave Northwest students a beat and helped psych them up. The band definitely got the fans going when we played and did our band cheers, James Huffman said. Some of the players told me when the band was playing and yelling it gave them an extra boost. Northwest ' s drill team, the Steppers, also played an im- portant role in halftime performances. 1 got psyched up because I loved to dance, Century Lawson said. Drill team was part of my life. While some students con- centrated on their own activi- ties, others focused more on being true to their school. As long as students showed a glimmer of interest, the spirit boosters kept plugging away to retain enthusiasm. D Teresa Mattson 1 Spirit Boosters V.

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Painting the town Greek Groups splatter the campus with spirit T. hey weren ' t artists, but they painted Maryville with spirited colors. Although they represented different groups, they came together to achieve a common goal: to have fun while they raised money for philanthropies, it was a weel set aside for sororities and fraternities, and with streaks of competi- tion and gallons of fun, they used the week to paint the town Greek. Even though it was the first Greek Week to have a theme, many traditional events were maintained in the four-day spirit booster. Balloons and songs filled the air as Greeks gathered around the Memorial Bell Tower for a Greek Sing on April 21. Each group was in- troduced by Greek Week co- chairs Diane Watson and Dave Knapp. Chariot races of ancient Greece were re-enacted as fraternities pushed their hand-made chariots from the Administration Building to Roberta Hall. But even though the event was copied from the Greeks, expertise apparently wasn ' t as some chariots crumbled before reaching the finish line. Everything happened so fast, Toni Goforth said. They put me in a chariot and started running, but the back wheels fell off. They just picked me up and carried me piggyback the rest of the way. Fraternities and sororities combined their energies toward a softball tournament, picnic and a philanthropy project which included clean- ing downtown Maryville. They also sponsored a skat- ing party and donated pro- ceeds to the Maryville Parks and Recreation Department. The final day of Greek Week seemed to be the high- light of the events. A variety of games brought out laugh- ter and someti mes embar- rassment as Greeks cheered each other on. But even those who didn ' t compete joined in the fun. The games showed the Greeks ' spirit because they got out and showed everyone what they were made of, in- dependent Tina Preuss said. Activities got underway with the mystery event, which was an undercover game. Couples wearing box- er shorts jumped into zipped sleeping bags, exchanged shorts, crawled back out and sprinted to the finish line. Spectators enthusiastically cheered for their favorite par- ticipants, but some competi- tors were a little apprehen- sive. I was nervous at first, but 1 realized the secret was to unzip the sleeping bag since it was so small, Kelly Collins said. It turned out to be a lot of fun. There were no mysteries to the bat race, only a lot of confusion and dizziness. Af- ter the Greek men ran about 25 yards, they bent over, placed their foreheads on the end of a baseball bat and ran around it 10 times. Then they stumbled back to tag the next team member. The crowd wasn ' t very safe during the event because many contestants found it hard to run in a straight line. Some couldn ' t even stay on the playing field. The people were in my way, Dennis Graham said af- ter wiping out and falling on several people on the sideline. Spectators cleared the way again when it was time for the greased chicken toss. There didn ' t seem to be many tactics to throwing a raw chicken coated with oil, but one participant found a way to get a hold on the --continued 1 2 Greek Week