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All blue uniform- check! Tall socks- check! Hair curled- check! Now, for the Red lip stick and I am ready to go! Hey, cheerleaders! My name is Megan Murdock, and I am a junior on the University of Kentucky’s cheerleading squad! At Commonwealth Stadium, every gameday starts two and a half hours before game time. This past Saturday’s game versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which kicked off at 12:20 pm, meant that the we had to be there at 9:45 am! The morning started off a cold one, but it turned into a beautiful day for some Wildcat football!
The Catwalk
After we get into the stadium, it’s a matter of 5 minutes until we hear it- the siren. The siren signals that it’s time to grab our megaphones and pom poms and form the Catwalk! Fans are lined up along the street anxiously awaiting the arrival of the football team! During the time anticipating the players’ entrance, we get the fans involved by inviting them to cheer along in sidelines and even handing out blue and white pom poms! The band and the dancers join us in the Catwalk to really get the crowd fired up for the game! Finally, the buses pull up, the players walk out, and the band strikes up our school’s fight song, to lead them into the stadium!
Walk Around the Stadium and Rally in the Alley
Our next responsibility is my absolute FAVORITE part of the day! At exactly one hour before kick off, three policemen on motorcycles lead the cheerleaders, the dancers, and the band to walk a full circle around Commonwealth Stadium. This gives us the chance to interact with many Wildcat fans as they’re tailgating and entering the stadium. As we walk, the band plays some songs and we lead some cheers! This is a time of a lot of high fives, waves, and TONS of “Go Cats!” I love to watch the fans spot us coming and run up to the street to get closer to us! The most fun part, however, is the pit stop we make halfway through. This little pit stop is called the Rally in the Alley! Between the stadium and the field house, there is a wide staircase where fans gather for one final pep rally before the game! The band plays fun tunes while we get the fans cheering with sidelines and impressing them with some stunting! The fans absolutely love this pep rally because we are so close to the them, and excitement is just bouncing all over the place!
Running the Team onto the Field
The time has come! Let’s bring those guys out to the field! The band forms a tunnel out on the field, and we line up inside of them. To build up the team’s entrance, “Zombie Nation” plays over the sound system and the entire stadium chants “We Are UK” along with the beat! This never fails to bring butterflies into my stomach! A horn sounds, fireworks ignite, and the team bursts onto the field underneath a banner that reads “‘Til the Battle is Won”- a line from our fight song. We run them out with two massive UK flags and smaller flags that spell out “Kentucky Wildcats”. With the flags and some impressive tumbling, it makes for an enthralling opening to the game! Just before the players line up for kick off, one of our very own guys on the squad proclaims- “IT’S FOOTBALL TIME IN THE BLUEGRASS!” over the sound system. I think the entire Bluegrass State can hear it!
Game Time Action
During the game, it is important that we are constantly in action to lead the crowd! We have many sidelines that invite the crowd to chant with us. We also use stunts and pyramids with signs to get the crowd yelling!
We use chants like “Go Cats Go” and “Go Big Blue” that are simple, so the fans can catch on quickly! Our spectators go crazy over basket tosses, so we normally use them in a few time outs during games! Also during time outs, we ripple the same stunt down our sideline formation. When Kentucky is on defense and it is a 3rd down, we do everything we can to get the crowd on their feet and yelling as loud as possible! To do this, we make sure that everyone is up in some sort of stunt, and we use a lot of signs. Our 3rd down signs say things like- “Defense” “Stand Up and Yell” and “Make Noise”!
My Old Kentucky Home
When the time runs out, win or lose, our band plays the state song, “My Old Kentucky Home”. We line up, arm in arm, and sing along! The fans stand up and do exactly the same! Our state song means a lot to those who live here, so we give it a lot of respect!
Thanks for spending gameday with us! Living my whole life in Kentucky and being raised as a Cats fan, having the opportunity to cheer on the sidelines every Saturday and wear the UK uniform is an absolute dream come true! Though I try, I could never capture the true excitement of the atmosphere in Commonwealth Stadium! So, if you’re ever around Lexington, come join us to cheer on our beloved Wildcats! Go Big Blue!
-Megan
The post Sideline Report with Megan Murdock appeared first on .
All blue uniform- check! Tall socks- check! Hair curled- check! Now, for the Red lip stick and I am ready to go! Hey, cheerleaders! My name is Megan Murdock, and I am a junior on the University of Kentucky’s cheerleading squad! At Commonwealth Stadium, every gameday starts two and a half hours before game time. This past Saturday’s game versus the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which kicked off at 12:20 pm, meant that the we had to be there at 9:45 am! The morning started off a cold one, but it turned into a beautiful day for some Wildcat football!The Catwalk
After we get into the stadium, it’s a matter of 5 minutes until we hear it- the siren. The siren signals that it’s time to grab our megaphones and pom poms and form the Catwalk! Fans are lined up along the street anxiously awaiting the arrival of the football team! During the time anticipating the players’ entrance, we get the fans involved by inviting them to cheer along in sidelines and even handing out blue and white pom poms! The band and the dancers join us in the Catwalk to really get the crowd fired up for the game! Finally, the buses pull up, the players walk out, and the band strikes up our school’s fight song, to lead them into the stadium!
Walk Around the Stadium and Rally in the Alley
Our next responsibility is my absolute FAVORITE part of the day! At exactly one hour before kick off, three policemen on motorcycles lead the cheerleaders, the dancers, and the band to walk a full circle around Commonwealth Stadium. This gives us the chance to interact with many Wildcat fans as they’re tailgating and entering the stadium. As we walk, the band plays some songs and we lead some cheers! This is a time of a lot of high fives, waves, and TONS of “Go Cats!” I love to watch the fans spot us coming and run up to the street to get closer to us! The most fun part, however, is the pit stop we make halfway through. This little pit stop is called the Rally in the Alley! Between the stadium and the field house, there is a wide staircase where fans gather for one final pep rally before the game! The band plays fun tunes while we get the fans cheering with sidelines and impressing them with some stunting! The fans absolutely love this pep rally because we are so close to the them, and excitement is just bouncing all over the place!
Running the Team onto the Field
The time has come! Let’s bring those guys out to the field! The band forms a tunnel out on the field, and we line up inside of them. To build up the team’s entrance, “Zombie Nation” plays over the sound system and the entire stadium chants “We Are UK” along with the beat! This never fails to bring butterflies into my stomach! A horn sounds, fireworks ignite, and the team bursts onto the field underneath a banner that reads “‘Til the Battle is Won”- a line from our fight song. We run them out with two massive UK flags and smaller flags that spell out “Kentucky Wildcats”. With the flags and some impressive tumbling, it makes for an enthralling opening to the game! Just before the players line up for kick off, one of our very own guys on the squad proclaims- “IT’S FOOTBALL TIME IN THE BLUEGRASS!” over the sound system. I think the entire Bluegrass State can hear it!
Game Time Action
During the game, it is important that we are constantly in action to lead the crowd! We have many sidelines that invite the crowd to chant with us. We also use stunts and pyramids with signs to get the crowd yelling!
We use chants like “Go Cats Go” and “Go Big Blue” that are simple, so the fans can catch on quickly! Our spectators go crazy over basket tosses, so we normally use them in a few time outs during games! Also during time outs, we ripple the same stunt down our sideline formation. When Kentucky is on defense and it is a 3rd down, we do everything we can to get the crowd on their feet and yelling as loud as possible! To do this, we make sure that everyone is up in some sort of stunt, and we use a lot of signs. Our 3rd down signs say things like- “Defense” “Stand Up and Yell” and “Make Noise”!
My Old Kentucky Home
When the time runs out, win or lose, our band plays the state song, “My Old Kentucky Home”. We line up, arm in arm, and sing along! The fans stand up and do exactly the same! Our state song means a lot to those who live here, so we give it a lot of respect!
Thanks for spending gameday with us! Living my whole life in Kentucky and being raised as a Cats fan, having the opportunity to cheer on the sidelines every Saturday and wear the UK uniform is an absolute dream come true! Though I try, I could never capture the true excitement of the atmosphere in Commonwealth Stadium! So, if you’re ever around Lexington, come join us to cheer on our beloved Wildcats! Go Big Blue!
-Megan
The post Sideline Report with Megan Murdock appeared first on .
