Ouachita's Seal
  OBU Tigers Home  | Ouachita Home 

OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY CHEERLEADERS

2008-2009 Ouachita Baptist University Cheerleaders


2008-09 OBU Cheerleaders: (L to R; B to F)
Leah Harrington, Clayton Chapuis, Tyler King, Alan Greenwood

Abby Turner, Lauren DeWitt, Chelsey Lewis, Andrea Eaves, Abby Williams

Molly Johnson, Stephanie Glenn (captain), Amber Lee

Melissa Collier, Savannah Pendergrass, Kelsey Kearney

The Ouachita Mascot and cheerleaders marched in the annual "Relay for Life" event sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

 

OUACHITA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY CHEERLEADERS for 2008-09

      

Clayton Chapuis      Melissa Collier       Lauren DeWitt   Stephanie Glenn    Leah Harrington

 

       

   Molly Johnson      Kelsey Kearney          Tyler King             Amber Lee          Chelsey Lewis

 

                                                                    

Savannah Pendergrass                           Abby Williams                                      Andrea Eaves

Cheer Squad Application (link to form)

Print the online application form and mail to:

Cheer Squad Tryouts

Ouachita Baptist University

C/O Dr. Wesley Kluck

kluckw@obu.edu

410 Ouachita Street, Box 3753

Arkadelphia, AR 71998-0001

 

Ouachita Baptist University Cheerleader Information for 2008-09

(Click here for PDF file)

 

 

Tryouts for the OBU cheerleaders are usually held the 2nd or 3rd weekend of April.  Shortly following tryouts, cheerleading duties begin.  All on campus students will begin practicing regularly in May.  While there are some activities in late spring and early summer, the majority of the season preparation occurs during the months of July and August.  A pre-camp work week will be held at the campus of OBU prior to attending a selected college cheerleading camp.  At the camp, the OBU cheerleaders and mascots get to not only learn new material, but also get their first opportunity of the year to compete with other colleges in the sport of cheerleading.

 

Full time cheerleader duties will begin one week prior to the beginning of classes.  During this work week cheerleaders will be preparing for the upcoming football season, pep rallies, and community events.

 

Cheerleaders are required to cheer at all OBU football games, home basketball games, pep rallies,  and selected appearances at other sporting events such as tennis, baseball, etc.  Additional appearances are made at OBU and community events and functions.  Practice is held three(3) times per week (usually in the evening) with additional training and conditioning as needed. 

 

Ouachita Baptist University Cheerleader Goals:

  • We strive to support all OBU Athletic teams.
  • We serve as Ambassadors for OBU in the community and at various College activities.
  • We participate as an athlete in the sport of Competitive College Cheerleading.

 

Tryout Requirements:

Fight Song: Taught on the first day of clinic.  Judges will be looking for strong motion technique, spirit, and crowd appeal.

Cheer/Sideline: Taught on the first day of clinic.  Again, judges want strong motion technique, spirit, crowd involvement, and overall crowd appeal.

Tumbling: Standing and Running Tumbling.  Girls are encouraged to do either a standing backhandspring or standing back tuck.  Guys are encouraged to do a standing back tuck.  Girls and Guys are strongly encouraged to present a running tumbling pass that includes a minimum of two tricks.  You will be judged on difficulty of tumbling skill, execution, and crowd appeal.  We are not only looking for people that have mastered tumbling skills, but also for people with the potential to gain tumbling skills in the future.  Tumbling is definitely encouraged, but is not a requirement to make the squad at OBU.

Stunts: You will be required to demonstrate either an all girl stunt or a co-ed stunt.  All girl stunt groups must be able to perform a straight up extension full down, liberty cradle, as well as an optional stunt with a twisting dismount.  Co-ed stunt groups should be able to demonstrate a toss shoulders, toss to hands press extension, and one other optional stunt.  You will be judged on proper stunting technique, difficulty, and overall crowd appeal. (Note: it is strongly encouraged for all top girls to be able to perform a heel stretch.)

Surprise Routine (girls only): A 3-4 eight count routine will be taught the day of tryouts to all female applicants.  This routine will be very basic with the sole purpose being to acknowledge how quickly one may pick up on routines.    OBU cheerleaders have to be able to learn quickly in order to fit everything into their busy schedules.  This routine will be judged on knowledge of routine, as well as coordination.

Interview:   Applicants trying out for OBU cheerleader will each go through a separate interview on the Saturday of clinic.  Each interview should last no more than 10-15 minutes.This personal interview is to ascertain how well the cheerleader will represent the University.  Public relations, friendliness, positive attitude, willingness to help others and school spirit and enthusiasm are the musts for those who are selected as a member of our spirit squads. 

Coach Evaluation: You will be evaluated during the 2 day clinic and tryouts.  This evaluation along with the judges scores will make up the final list for the 2008-2009 OBU cheerleaders.      

 

For Tryouts:  

Girls: Please wear white fitted tank top, along with purple shorts.  Hair and make-up is at your own discretion for tryouts, however, uniform hair for 08-09 cheerleaders will be half-up/half-down with a small purple, gold, or white scrunchie.  Hair may be worn however you would like at any practices. 

Guys: Please wear white t-shirt, along with purple shorts.  Guys are expected to be cleanly shaven at all uniformed events. 

 

There are partial scholarships available for all OBU cheerleaders.  More information on scholarships will be given out the first day of clinic. 

 

Requirements for mascot tryout:

  • 2-4 minutes original skit
  • Use of props permitted but you must supply them

 

OBU Cheerleading Coach

Brian Bridges

Brian is originally from Hot Springs, AR and began cheering at Lake Hamilton School at the age of 14.  He went on to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where he received a BA in Mathematics in 2008.  Brian is the owner and director of B²cheer & dance camps which train many junior high, high school, all star, and collegiate squads each summer in Hot Springs and in various parts of the state of Arkansas.

Brian has been involved with the cheerleading industry going on 10 years as a cheerleader, coach, director, and owner.  Brian was a member of the U of A Razorback cheerleading squad from 2004-2008.  Cheering for the Razorbacks allowed Brian to travel to various colleges all over the nation, including some of the most premiere collegiate cheerleading programs in the country.  Brian is safety certified by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA).  He choreographs for many squads throughout the state, and his squads have seen success on the regional, state, and national level.  Brian’s email: brianjbridges@gmail.com