Energy throughout Studio 64 was high and contagious with spirit and Piper pride. The “Bring It” event on Oct. 14 held by Hamline Cheer was a success with students showing what they’ve got with kicks, flips and cheers. 

With the absence of a Hamline Cheerleading Team, four students took the initiative to recreate the Hamline Spirit that can be seen all over our campus and school’s history. Before the next athletic season begins, the four students held an event to recruit more people to join their team. 

To start off the event, the four organizers of Hamline Cheer: sophomores Savior Johnson and Saba Tiruneh and first-years Azari Jackson and Asia Taylor, welcomed everyone with an ice breaker in order to create a comfortable atmosphere. 

To the four students, comfortability and security is very important. 

“I just want to make it feel like a family because I know college can be stressful for people and I feel like this should be something that everybody, it doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or girl, you should be able to come here with welcomed arms and be able to feel safe and talk about anything,”Jackson said. 

The cheerleading team started with the goal of community for both their experiences and their peers.

“[The goal was] seeing if our dream of having a cheer team at Hamline was going to be taken off and if anybody was interested in being on the cheerleading team,” Johnson said.

Interested, students were. Students were led by the four organizers through multiple cheer moves and routines. By the end of the event, students were participating in tryouts, not only performing the different routines, but also showing the different moves they brought on their own.

With the event advertising that no experience was required or necessary, sophomore Kamaria Williams was one of the many students who attended the event. Williams was more than pleased with her experience. 

“It was really cool, the people were so welcoming, the staff was really good. I loved it,” she said. “I learned a lot from cheering because I’ve never done it before and this is my first time experiencing it.”

This being her first cheer experience, Williams expressed how this event was very educational. The four student organizers created a very encouraging learning environment for all students, regardless of their experience.

With the basketball season right around the corner, their goals of creating a larger team is starting to come into fruition. 

“Hopefully we’re gonna do the game on the fourth and then we’re gonna do basketball season next year,” Tiruneh said. 

Cheering at events isn’t their only goal for the future. Taylor talked about the Cheer team wanting to do “fundraisers and volunteer work” while working towards a “really good sisterhood and build our team and get our name out there.”

This team of students really knows how to create good energy and get people excited. With all of their positivity and passion, Hamline Cheer will continue to grow and spread Hamline University spirit throughout athletic events and campus.