I dont want to put any blame on anyone for the lack of a RED/BLACK chant, but for the love of God, whoever is in charge of this has to realize that this has to be an every game thing! it is hands down the coolest thing that happens at Huskie Stadium as far as the crowd atmosphere goes...i remember attending a game as an unbiased football fan in 2003, and i got chills during the RED/BLACK chant...that place gets really loud and really has to be an every game deal!

Cheerdad, thanks for your perspective on this.

We all seem to have opinions about things that we don't have complete information on. I agree that we need to support our cheerleaders and understand the sacrifices they make to be on the squad.

I really believe that my disappointment with the on-field activities is related to those who are making decisions, not the cheerleaders themselves. I was one of the first, if not first, on this thread to mention coaching. I did not know coaching/leadership had changed so frequently. That might explain some things.

And, I also mentioned Victor E. on this thread. Granted it was hot on Saturday, but this has been ongoing thing. Besides, Hairy Dawg, Smokey, Aubbie, Mr & Mrs Wuf, TimeOut (from Fresno State) also work in this kind of heat...hell, most mascots from the SEC and ACC have to put up with that kind of heat through the whole season. Yet, they still play the part and do it well. There is a reason they are consistently considered among the best.

Being the mascot isn't just about putting the suit on and wearing it...it is about being the character and interacting with/pumping up the crowd.

NIUMgmtProf Wrote:Cheerdad, thanks for your perspective on this.

We all seem to have opinions about things that we don't have complete information on. I agree that we need to support our cheerleaders and understand the sacrifices they make to be on the squad.

I really believe that my disappointment with the on-field activities is related to those who are making decisions, not the cheerleaders themselves. I was one of the first, if not first, on this thread to mention coaching. I did not know coaching/leadership had changed so frequently. That might explain some things.

And, I also mentioned Victor E. on this thread. Granted it was hot on Saturday, but this has been ongoing thing. Besides, Hairy Dawg, Smokey, Aubbie, Mr & Mrs Wuf, TimeOut (from Fresno State) also work in this kind of heat...hell, most mascots from the SEC and ACC have to put up with that kind of heat through the whole season. Yet, they still play the part and do it well. There is a reason they are consistently considered among the best.

Being the mascot isn't just about putting the suit on and wearing it...it is about being the character and interacting with/pumping up the crowd.

I agree, but most of those schools pay their mascots. Ours is a cheerleader or sometimes just some random fan (me, 38, CHoran, NIURedBlack's roommate (he actually was admitted to the hospital after overheating and passing out) have all done it at least once). They need to hold a competition for Victor E. I bet that would generate some buzz. Then just pay whoever wins minimum wage to do the appearances. I know we are strapped for cash already, but I think it needs to be done,.

perhaps change and improvement will follow the money.

Is JP listening?

Why can't some bennies for cheer squad be funded?

Why can't band receive credits as is done elsewhere?

OH ! I forget. It's about money and leadership changing what's not working well and not providing all - performers and fans alike - with that world class experience.

No disrepect to those who toil along the sidelines or practice music and marching endlessly but ,basically, ya gets what ya pays for.

You need to remember that almost the entire athletic structure had to be rebuilt when coach Novak arrived. JP has improved on the foundation and the program is light years ahead of where it was. I am sure over time these things get corrected and organized so that the improvement is very efficient and long lasting. And yes the cheerleaders and band will eventually get their due. They should continue to work hard doing what they love and down the road good things will happen for them.

I have made mention previously I very briefly met Peters at JP's welcome/introduction reception years ago and asked what it would take to fund the NIU band with schollies etc like is done at OHIO U & many other world class universities.

His answer: " About a million bucks"

That was our take yesterday and JP sez it's more than we earn from ALL our home games combined in a season.

One such game in SF every other year could go a long ways to further improve facilities, provide seed money for campaigns to renovate press box etc AND provide for those extras common to cheerleaders and bands elsewhere.

This is in reply to NIURedBlack's comments on the dehydration suit...

We saw first hand what the Victor E. suit did to NIURedBlack's
roommate..lovingly nick named ..."Corn Shnable." We couldn't find him after the game and later heard that he was in the ER at Kishwaukee Hospital due to dehydration.

Didn't have anything to do with the copious consumption of fluids prior to him putting on the mascot suit!

shegar joe,

you are new and your username scares me.

Contingency Planning 101.
Department of Ingenuity.

If you are in college to learn & know in advance the costume and Huskiehead are HOT and the weather conditions will also be HOT, what else mite be done to address/alleviate the situation?

Is there a PLAN B for the costume?
Who else can you turn to for advice?
How is this resolved elsewhere?
Are we alone on a tundra?
Does Connecticut or UWashington have a costumed Huskie?"
Do they ever appear in hot climes?

Can you create a faux Huskie face and ears on a human face without the lid?

THINK OUTSIDE THE HEAD !

I really, really do NOT enjoy being simply negative, but do relish in being critical for sake of leading to improvement, yes.

GO Victor GO!
GO Squad GO!

cyberdawg Wrote:shegar joe,

you are new and your username scares me.

Shegar is just a goofy pronunciation of "cigar". The Joe, well I guess he is just a fan of Joe.

NIUCheerDad Wrote:First:

The Red/Black cheer. All timeout cheers are scripted. The Cheerleaders nor their coaches have input into this. It is up to the Administration that scripts the whole game (like the give-aways the cheerleaders do, the advertisements the annoucers say, etc). So please do not blame the cheerleaders nor the coaches for the lack of the red/black cheer.

then do it during the game one a 3rd down when the crowd is ready to erupt anyway. No excuse for not doing it during the games at least once.

I wanted to wait until everyone had a chance to have their say...you seem like you are done, so I feel it is my turn. I am the new asst cheerleading coach. The head coach and I both came onboard in the middle of football season last year. I have always followed NIU cheerleading, so I read the BBS after every game to see what you say abut the cheerleaders.
First, thank you for noticing that the team was in uniform. We do not like the shorts and t-shirts either, however there are not enough uniforms for everyone. We decided to put the teaam in two different uniforms rather than shorts and t-shirts. We are working on getting all matching uniforms, but it is costly. Everything that we have (uniforms, warmups, signs, flags, megaphone, safety equipment for practice, etc) has to be fundraised for. Thanks to everyone that bought 50/50 tickets, we will be able to buy megs for the rest of the guys and finish off the uniforms.

second, thanks for the runway model comment - I'm sure the team will be deighted to know that you think they are attractive.

As for everythinng else...you are correct about somethings and a lot of what you spoke about are changes that we are trying to make, however you can't change everything overnight, and it was difficult to institute anything major at Soldier Field. We are making some changes for this weeks game and hope that they are things you will enjoy.

We did botch the entrance - but like cheerdad said...if the H goes, everyone has to follow...imagine what it would have looked like if no one else went. That picture would look much worse (the four captain and an H running across the field)! In defense of my team, the captains usually come out much earlier, not while the team is all standing there ready to run. It was confusing. WE WILL FIX IT.

As far as Red/Black goes - you are right...it is the COOLEST thing we do at NIU. I too remember being just a fan the first time I saw it...it does send chills...I was there for the game when red/black was not get done...if you remember it correctly, we tried to go out on the field and do it, but we ran out of time. We had two choices...stay on the field and get a penalty for delay of game, or get off the field and not do red/black. We chose to get off the field and our own fans proceeded to Boo us - their own cheerleaders. Did you want us to take the penalty?!?! Anyway, after that we started having them put red/black in the script, so that we can insure that it was done. We cannot just go out and do it whenever we want. There are presentations that have to be made, announcements that have to be made, etc...there has to be enough time alloted, or the same thing will happen and we will get booed off the field. Why was it not in the script for soldier field?!? I didn't really ask, because I know that as soon as we started yelling BLACK, Iowa would have yelled GOLD...it would have been a disaster!

Did anyone perhaps notice that for the first time in 3 year we had 28 cheerleaders on the sidelines for the home opener? In the past several years there have only been 10-12, because other coaches didn't bother to make sure that the team knew the fightsong and the other game material. We made sure that our TEAM knew the material, not just a select few.

As for Victor E, this too is a work in progress. We have two dedicated individuals that predominately handle Victors assignments, however when they can't be there, we use whoever we can. We had a meeting for interested mascots last week...I don't think any of you were there?!?!?! Most people think they want to do it until they spend one hour in the suit. Cut them some slack...they get NOTHING for doing the job.

All in all, I appreciate all of your comments...it is constructive criticism for us. We will me making a lot of changes during this football season. I hope you pay as much attention and let us know what you think. Please remember that these young men and women do this because they love it, not because they get anything for it. There are no scholarships, ealry class registration, credit hours or lettermen jackets. They actually have to pay hundreds of dollars for their poms, t-shirts, shorts, underliners, etc - they are not given to them. These cheerleaders are here for a love of the Huskies. Thanks to all who have supoorted us through kind words and purchase of raffle tickets, 50/50 and are soon to be released NIU cheerleading calendar. Sorry this was so long. Please know that I do read this every week, so let us know what you like or don't like (I know you will) as we make changes.

Thank you Cheer65.

1) I will make sure to buy a 50/50 from now on.
2) Point taken about having to following the H.
3) I've worn the Victor E outfit for a couple hours before for basketball, I am definitely in the "never want to do again" category.
4) I think we all appreciate the hard work and efforts of our spirit squads. They work their tails off!
5) Can't the RED BLACK chant be started from the sidelines?

Also, in addition to the H-U-S-K-I-E-S flags last year there was a HUGE NIU logo flag that was brought on the field by one of the guy cheerleaders. I hope to see that again this year...it was awesome.

Cheer65 Wrote:I wanted to wait until everyone had a chance to have their say...you seem like you are done, so I feel it is my turn. I am the new asst cheerleading coach. The head coach and I both came onboard in the middle of football season last year. I have always followed NIU cheerleading, so I read the BBS after every game to see what you say abut the cheerleaders.
First, thank you for noticing that the team was in uniform. We do not like the shorts and t-shirts either, however there are not enough uniforms for everyone. We decided to put the teaam in two different uniforms rather than shorts and t-shirts. We are working on getting all matching uniforms, but it is costly. Everything that we have (uniforms, warmups, signs, flags, megaphone, safety equipment for practice, etc) has to be fundraised for. Thanks to everyone that bought 50/50 tickets, we will be able to buy megs for the rest of the guys and finish off the uniforms.

second, thanks for the runway model comment - I'm sure the team will be deighted to know that you think they are attractive.

As for everythinng else...you are correct about somethings and a lot of what you spoke about are changes that we are trying to make, however you can't change everything overnight, and it was difficult to institute anything major at Soldier Field. We are making some changes for this weeks game and hope that they are things you will enjoy.

We did botch the entrance - but like cheerdad said...if the H goes, everyone has to follow...imagine what it would have looked like if no one else went. That picture would look much worse (the four captain and an H running across the field)! In defense of my team, the captains usually come out much earlier, not while the team is all standing there ready to run. It was confusing. WE WILL FIX IT.

As far as Red/Black goes - you are right...it is the COOLEST thing we do at NIU. I too remember being just a fan the first time I saw it...it does send chills...I was there for the game when red/black was not get done...if you remember it correctly, we tried to go out on the field and do it, but we ran out of time. We had two choices...stay on the field and get a penalty for delay of game, or get off the field and not do red/black. We chose to get off the field and our own fans proceeded to Boo us - their own cheerleaders. Did you want us to take the penalty?!?! Anyway, after that we started having them put red/black in the script, so that we can insure that it was done. We cannot just go out and do it whenever we want. There are presentations that have to be made, announcements that have to be made, etc...there has to be enough time alloted, or the same thing will happen and we will get booed off the field. Why was it not in the script for soldier field?!? I didn't really ask, because I know that as soon as we started yelling BLACK, Iowa would have yelled GOLD...it would have been a disaster!

Did anyone perhaps notice that for the first time in 3 year we had 28 cheerleaders on the sidelines for the home opener? In the past several years there have only been 10-12, because other coaches didn't bother to make sure that the team knew the fightsong and the other game material. We made sure that our TEAM knew the material, not just a select few.

As for Victor E, this too is a work in progress. We have two dedicated individuals that predominately handle Victors assignments, however when they can't be there, we use whoever we can. We had a meeting for interested mascots last week...I don't think any of you were there?!?!?! Most people think they want to do it until they spend one hour in the suit. Cut them some slack...they get NOTHING for doing the job.

All in all, I appreciate all of your comments...it is constructive criticism for us. We will me making a lot of changes during this football season. I hope you pay as much attention and let us know what you think. Please remember that these young men and women do this because they love it, not because they get anything for it. There are no scholarships, ealry class registration, credit hours or lettermen jackets. They actually have to pay hundreds of dollars for their poms, t-shirts, shorts, underliners, etc - they are not given to them. These cheerleaders are here for a love of the Huskies. Thanks to all who have supoorted us through kind words and purchase of raffle tickets, 50/50 and are soon to be released NIU cheerleading calendar. Sorry this was so long. Please know that I do read this every week, so let us know what you like or don't like (I know you will) as we make changes.

Thank you for your post and excellent comments. The information in this thread is a learning experience for us all. I never realized that the cheerleaders need to raise their own funds for the cost of their uniforms and equipment. That is terrible! I just wish that this were made known to everyone and that there was some way that the Athletics Dept. could allow us to make a donation as part of, or in addition to, our HASF donation. It would be great if the Athletics web site would allow for online donations. Then again, maybe they're afraid that the cheerleaders would get the bulk of all donations!

Dog Fan Wrote:Thank you for your post and excellent comments. The information in this thread is a learning experience for us all. I never realized that the cheerleaders need to raise their own funds for the cost of their uniforms and equipment. That is terrible! I just wish that this were made known to everyone and that there was some way that the Athletics Dept. could allow us to make a donation as part of, or in addition to, our HASF donation. It would be great if the Athletics web site would allow for online donations. Then again, maybe they're afraid that the cheerleaders would get the bulk of all donations!

I agree DF. I have learned a lot about the cheerleading program at NIU over the last year, and I was shocked to learn that they did not get anything in return for their efforts (except for going to the games for free)! I also did not know that the cheerleaders need to fund their own equipment. Props to everything that they do for NIU!!! :uberbow:

I actually didn't understand what the 50/50 went for before your post. I'll buy a 50/50 at the SIU game. Bring on the calendars!

thanks for taking the time to read it all. Actually, you can donate all or part of your HASF fund to cheerleading just by designating that in the comments line on the registration form (it's a little known fact).

THE NIU logo flag is M.I.A - probably hanging in some student's dorm room - we have looked everywhere and can't find it.

Thanks for all your continued support!

HUSKIEFOOTBALLFAN Wrote:I actually didn't understand what the 50/50 went for before your post. I'll buy a 50/50 at the SIU game. Bring on the calendars!

Same here.

Little late on sending my kudos, but thanks for the information and for all the hard work. It's nice to know that the current leaders/coaches are committed to improving the presence of our cheerleaders during games.

Good luck to you, and if you ever need a faculty representative to lend support to your organization, activities, or serve on a committee just send me a pm.

Wow, a thread this long about cheerleaders and not one decent picture.

I expect better from you guys.

;-)

I have continually purchased the 50/50. I will increase my ticket purchases next time. Thanks for the information.