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PITTSBURG —
Last year, Pittsburg State University students integrated the United States military into their Yell Like Hell routines. Thursday night at Carnie Smith Stadium they paid tribute to the Olympic Games
Yell Like Hell is the annual Homecoming event in which campus student organizations perform cheer and dance routines based on the Homecoming theme. This year’s theme is “Pitt Games.”
According to university archivist Randy Roberts, Yell Like Hell traces back at least 37 years and was created as a continuation of the campus pep rallies that were held for many years. Student skits had stopped being a part of the university’s annual spring Apple Day celebrations in the mid-1970s after a streaking incident, and the university was trying to find a way to generate more enthusiasm during a time when football teams weren’t doing so well.
“It was part of an attempt to re-enliven school spirit,” Roberts said. “Now things have become very competitive. You drive around in the evenings for a month before this event, and you see groups practicing. It’s a big deal.”
Yell Like Hell is growing in popularity. So much so that the crowd, which typically sits in the west stands of the stadium, was moved to the east side of the stadium last year, and like last year, fans again spilled into the upper deck.
There were 14 squads in this year's competition, the same number of teams as last year. The groups were organized into women’s, men’s and a co-ed division. Each group could field no more than 25 people and was required to incorporate a dance number, a cheer and a pyramid into a five-minute routine. It was also the first event for newly crowned 2012 Homecoming King and Queen Ryan Robinson and Alyssa Marsh.
“It’s pretty exciting, but it’s nerve-racking to be out here with all these people,” Marsh said as the Newman Club performed on the field behind her.
The competition is serious business for the contestants, who have to choreograph their own routines and cheers. They also design their own dance uniforms.
“We worked so hard for so many weeks,” said senior Jenna Wendt, routine coach and choreographer for the PSU Dance Club, which won the coed division for the second year in a row. “We practiced for seven weeks, for four or five days a week. It feels so amazing. I can’t stop shaking. The payoff is worth the hard work every time!”
Junior Kadyn Miller, co-coach of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, which took first place in the women’s division, shared Wendt’s sentiment.
“It’s awesome,” Miller said, adding that she couldn’t have done it without the help of sophomore choreographer Kayla Grodzicki and co-coach sophomore Andrea Parsa. “We practiced from August to September and had a lot of late nights. We won my freshman year and I wanted everyone to experience how awesome it is.”
Senior Alex Ake, of Lambda Chi fraternity, which won the men’s division, also said winning was awesome.
“It feels amazing,” Ake said. “I’d like to thank our coach, Patt Lewis. We couldn’t have done it without him. We lost it the last three years, and it feels amazing to finally win it.”
Last year, Pittsburg State University students integrated the United States military into their Yell Like Hell routines. Thursday night at Carnie Smith Stadium they paid tribute to the Olympic Games
Yell Like Hell is the annual Homecoming event in which campus student organizations perform cheer and dance routines based on the Homecoming theme. This year’s theme is “Pitt Games.”
According to university archivist Randy Roberts, Yell Like Hell traces back at least 37 years and was created as a continuation of the campus pep rallies that were held for many years. Student skits had stopped being a part of the university’s annual spring Apple Day celebrations in the mid-1970s after a streaking incident, and the university was trying to find a way to generate more enthusiasm during a time when football teams weren’t doing so well.
“It was part of an attempt to re-enliven school spirit,” Roberts said. “Now things have become very competitive. You drive around in the evenings for a month before this event, and you see groups practicing. It’s a big deal.”
Yell Like Hell is growing in popularity. So much so that the crowd, which typically sits in the west stands of the stadium, was moved to the east side of the stadium last year, and like last year, fans again spilled into the upper deck.
There were 14 squads in this year's competition, the same number of teams as last year. The groups were organized into women’s, men’s and a co-ed division. Each group could field no more than 25 people and was required to incorporate a dance number, a cheer and a pyramid into a five-minute routine. It was also the first event for newly crowned 2012 Homecoming King and Queen Ryan Robinson and Alyssa Marsh.
“It’s pretty exciting, but it’s nerve-racking to be out here with all these people,” Marsh said as the Newman Club performed on the field behind her.
The competition is serious business for the contestants, who have to choreograph their own routines and cheers. They also design their own dance uniforms.
“We worked so hard for so many weeks,” said senior Jenna Wendt, routine coach and choreographer for the PSU Dance Club, which won the coed division for the second year in a row. “We practiced for seven weeks, for four or five days a week. It feels so amazing. I can’t stop shaking. The payoff is worth the hard work every time!”
Junior Kadyn Miller, co-coach of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, which took first place in the women’s division, shared Wendt’s sentiment.
“It’s awesome,” Miller said, adding that she couldn’t have done it without the help of sophomore choreographer Kayla Grodzicki and co-coach sophomore Andrea Parsa. “We practiced from August to September and had a lot of late nights. We won my freshman year and I wanted everyone to experience how awesome it is.”
Senior Alex Ake, of Lambda Chi fraternity, which won the men’s division, also said winning was awesome.
“It feels amazing,” Ake said. “I’d like to thank our coach, Patt Lewis. We couldn’t have done it without him. We lost it the last three years, and it feels amazing to finally win it.”
