No wimps allowed

Southern Living, Sep 1996

So you think football players are tough? Check out these athletes on the sidelines.

Almost showtime. The University of Kentucky cheerleaders wait quietly, some nervously jogging in place or giving strained muscles a last-minute stretch.

They usually urge football or basketball players on to glory. On this January night at the Universal Cheerleading Association Championships in Walt Disney World near Orlando, they get their own shot at the spotlight.

They have lifted weights, run countless miles, swum, aerobicized, and grimly counted fat grams. As one T-shirt proclaims, "If cheerleading were any easier, it would be called football."

Speaking of football . . .

GAME DAY

Saturday, 11:30 a.m., 11/2 hours before Kentucky's last game of the season against heavily favored Tennessee. The November sky looms gray, damp, and cold. The cheerleaders are out--eight men and eight women--to stretch and warm up.

Stephanie Williams, a 19-year-old sophomore from Lexington, bends over to touch her toes, stands back up, and jogs in place.

"It's so much more physical than in high school," she explains. "Your body has to be able to do things at all times. I guess also because I'm older it's a little bit harder to do these things."

This "doddering senior citizen" leaps high into the air, flips backward, and, amazingly, lands on her feet--a back tuck, she says. The lexicon of cheerleading also includes basket tosses, double fulls, and toss reverse cupies, all referring to acrobatics these women perform after being hurled skyward by muscular men. To survive such stress, a cheerleader's body must be compact and completely fit.

"I'm about 5'3"," says Stephanie. "I'm the tallest on the team."

Shane Simmons, a junior from Indiana, begins rehearsing stunts with Stephanie. Shane stands 6'3" and weighs 210 pounds. Able to bench-press 350 pounds, he has the body of a tight end. But instead of catching footballs, Shane catches Stephanie, who twirls a full twist in the air before falling into Shane's arms.

"I'm never going to let her fall," he says.

Kickoff approaches. Because of the cold, coach Mike Ergas lets his squad wear sweatsuits. When the football teams take the field, he shouts, "Okay! Let's go!"

The cheerleaders spend the first half in constant motion. When the half ends with Kentucky surprisingly ahead 17-9, the

squad rushes into a room beneath the stadium seats to eat sandwiches, gulp soft drinks, and relax.

HALFTIME

Shane is one of the few men on the squad who actually cheered in high school. He also played football and basketball. "We got called wimps in high school, but not here," he says.

Hunter Heath, a massive bulldog of a guy, adds, "People don't realize we've passed up scholarships to play other sports at major universities to cheer here."

Hunter points to Brian Elza. "Brian played basketball at the junior college level and was on a 'Sweet 16' squad. Shane played football, and I was the North Carolina powerlifting champion in 1993."

THE SECOND HALF

In the third quarter, Kentucky jumps to a 24-9 lead. After every. score, six male cheerleaders lift a platform on which the costumed Wildcat mascot performs pushups, one for each Kentucky point.

The euphoria subsides as Tennessee scores once, twice, three times, closing the quarter with a 27-24 lead. A thrilling fourth-quarter touchdown gives Kentucky a flicker of glory, quickly extinguished by one final Tennessee touchdown.

The 34-31 score marks the end of football season. For the players, it means a reprieve from the rigors of sport. For the cheerleaders, basketball season (with 30 or so regular-season games) has already started.

PRACTICE

The day after the game, 5:30 p.m., one hour before practice. Everyone but Coach Ergas has arrived at the spacious gymnastics room in Seaton Center.

Brent Gilmore explains, "We have something in mind that we want to do for Nationals, but coach doesn't want to waste practice time doing something he doesn't think will work." He grins. "We're going to prove that it will."

Four women stand on the shoulders of four men. Wendy Dutch and Stacy Van Cleave will be launched through the air onto the shoulders of the women. Wendy and Stacy will then fall backward, be caught and thrown back into the air, flip, land, and reposition themselves for yet another launch back to the pyramid's point, where they will land holding their legs high above their heads. Called a toss double-stag pyramid, it's never been done in competition, explains Brian.

On the first try, the pyramid crumbles onto the padded mat in an avalanche of flailing arms and legs. When Coach Ergas arrives at 6:15, the cheerleaders perform the stunt perfectly.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Back at Walt Disney World, Kentucky's cheerleaders explode onto center stage. One of their five pyramids features two women, clutching their ankles above their heads in stag position, standing on the shoulders of three men. Shane and Brian hurl Stacy into the air, where she twists before perching herself on the outstretched legs of the other two women.

The 21/2 minutes pass in a perfectly executed blur. Kentucky has won the championship, its sixth in 12 years. For a moment, all the sore muscles, aching bones, and memories of painful practices fade into a cold, glorious Friday night.