The NDSU Cheer Team is open to any interested student. Members are selected after a series of tryouts and an interview.
Bison fans are among the loudest and most loyal that you’ll find anywhere. Their eardrum-popping enthusiasm during games is led by the talented and energetic NDSU Cheer Team.
The 21-member co-ed squad leads cheers for the Bison football and basketball teams and one game for all other sports.
“NDSU has such a rich history and such an incredible body of fans from all over the country. To represent this school, to lead our fans and be part of something that is so much greater than just myself is truly amazing, said Cheer Team co-captain Brandon Winkler, a senior biology major from Fargo.
“I have a passion for cheerleading,” said former Cheer Team co-captain and recent NDSU graduate Clara Henneman. “The complexity of the sport made me fall in love with it when I first started as a freshman in high school. The level of athleticism required to be successful as a Division I athlete has pushed me to grow into the strongest version of myself both physically and mentally.”
The Cheer Team is not a competition team, so any interested student can become a member through a series of tryouts and an interview. As highly visible NDSU ambassadors, members are expected to conduct themselves accordingly, both on and off the playing surface.
The team welcomes everyone who wants to give it a shot at making the squad, and members take their responsibilities seriously.
“I think the Cheer Team is one of those sports where anyone can find belonging. It doesn't matter where you come from, what you believe, what color you are or what you identify as – once you put on the green and gold, there is a place for you,” Winkler said.
“The feeling I get when I’m leading the crowd is surreal,” said Henneman, a veterinary technology graduate from Coon Rapids, Minnesota. “The adrenaline pumping through my body makes the fans seem louder than a tornado siren. I am bursting at the seams with happiness and energy when I perform and lead the crowd – there’s no better feeling in the world than cheering for the Bison.”
As much as the co-captains love the Bison athletic teams, they hold just as much esteem for the university and its mission of education, research and service.
“I am a fourth-generation student at this university and so NDSU holds a very special place in my heart as well as the hearts of my family,” Winkler said. “It was the right choice for me. NDSU has some of the most student-focused faculty of anywhere in the country and I always feel like I am home. There are so many opportunities for students here.”
Henneman agrees.
“Choosing NDSU to further my education was one of the best decisions of my life,” she said. “NDSU has great professors and hands-on learning opportunities. Every day I'm on campus, I'm surrounded by positive energy. I believe there is no better achievement than being a Bison.”
