When I started to see social media promotions for the fifth annual Cyclone Football Spirit Day Clinic—hosted by the Iowa State Cheerleaders and Dance Team— I knew it would be a perfect fit for our little Cyclone. She’s already got a few years of dance under her belt and loves performing! The only thing to sort out was the 6 p.m. Friday practice time the night before. We decided a few hours of school could easily be made up. (I mean, what do you accomplish in your last hour of work on a Friday?!)
So we packed up a bit early and arrived at the Bergstrom Indoor Football Complex. Part of the registration process included the option for friends to be grouped together, so it worked out that one of our family friends who has a daughter E’s age was able to join too! It was our first time inside the practice facility and it was such a fun experience!
The girls had a two-hour practice session where the teams led the participants through two cheers and a short dance routine. For $40, each child received authentic Varsity Spirit Fashions pom poms to be used for the half-time performance in Jack Trice Stadium!! The clinic was open for ages 5-12 years old. While our girls were on the young end of the age group, there were a few suggestive shoulder and hip shakes I think they could have left out.
I ordered a cheer uniform from Football Fanatics to complete the experience, hoping to get a Halloween costume out of it as well. Even though E is in youth M in other clothes, even the S for this was too big for my toothpick, so we had to pin in the skirt quite a bit. Hopefully we’ll get another season out of it next fall.
As an added bonus, my sister’s sorority sister Ally was one of my daughter’s small-group leaders!
All in, I highly recommended the experience. Everything was very well planed and executed. The girls had a great time, and got to be on the field at halftime with the marching band!!! (Side note: My one and only time on the Jack Trice grass was when students rushed the field after the 36-14 win over Nebraska in 2002.)
