Here is the word I received from ASU athletics. I was hoping for some more specific information, but this nebulous clarification will have to suffice:

Thank you for your email regarding our cheer program. We want to clarify the changes we have made.

We are not eliminating our cheer program. We are strengthening our presentation. Our game experience is centered around several organizations that help create our in game environment. We have decided to combine the strengths of these organizations under one central leadership group thereby creating a unified spirit squad. This will help to enhance the communication and coordination of these entities. By practicing together, sharing common goals, and increasing communication, we will be enhancing the game experience for our fans. We hope that our current members will tryout for our spirit squad.

The focus of our program is on the fan experience at athletic events. We have also been concerned with safety issues that have been well documented throughout the NCAA over the past few years. Our spirit squad will continue to promote school spirit, perform and support the athletic programs at Arizona State University, and interact with the Sun Devil community. We appreciate the enthusiasm and contributions of our past and present cheer squad members. We look forward to the contributions of future members.

Thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts to us. We hope this clarifies our reasons and motivations for these decisions.


Sincerely,

Arizona State University Athletics

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness

I'm getting ready for a weekend getaway for San Diego. After writing two entire posts this week, I think I'm deserving of a break.

My previous weekend roadtrip was to the Phoenix/Tempe area- home of spring baseball, about a half dozen Hooters, and the Arizona State cheer team. Or maybe not. According to some reports, the cheer squad might be in the process of being disbanded, possibly as retribution (tho I'm skeptical) for some photos that surfaced on the internet.(HT: With Leather):





I like how this was the lead story for the nine o'clock news- and they showed every picture in the "controversial" photoset. Gotta love Fox. Also, it's hard to tell if cheer is being eliminated altogether or just being restructured. If the new team is being modeled after the SC Song Girls (Contrary to anchor John Hook's words, UCLA does have both a cheer and a dance squad, which features more elaborate choreography and costuming than SC. But he is right that they look good in their uniforms.), it won't be the worst possible development.

It's also interesting that one cheerleader describes The Dirty as "insignificant," but then goes on to describe it as a way to "ruin people's lives." Very astute. Usually, it takes about ten years out of college before you realize that your life being ruined really isn't that significant afterall.

I'm trying to get some clarification from some people within ASU, but it's a Friday on a college campus; so I don't expect anyone to be awake before noon.

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness

The liberating thing about running up credit card debt is that once it gets to a certain level, it really become insignificant if you throw a few hundred more onto it. The card won't realistically be getting paid off in the forseeable future anyway, so why not live a little? And so it was a no-brainer that once I was on the road to Phoenix with some friends that I wasn't going to settle for nosebleed seats. I thought I ended up with a pretty good view, but it was nothing compared to that of the photographer pictured here:




UCLA's basketball team came out focused and ready to put on a show. Their dance team displayed a similar energy and enthusiasm. For pictures of the players, check out my Flickr set. For photos of the dance team, just scroll on down:

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

Overall, I thought Xavier's cheerleading team represented their team very well in the regional finals. I do wish however that someone had let them know that Phoenix is in the desert, and so Ohio winter wear would not be necessary:

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness

Getting tickets right behind the UCLA bench for the first two rounds of the tournament was great for watching the players' reactions during the game and Coach Howland's energy and techniques during timeouts. But the seats were awful for anyone trying to compose a photo essay of the Dance Team during their performances. If anyone wants pics of UCLA players huddled together, email me- I have a few dozen. While I was able to snap off some pics of the Dance Team over the course of two games, it admittedly isn't my best work. But don't blame me. Blame Lorenzo Mata and Alfred Aboya, who refused to sit down during timeouts.

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

While the BYU basketball team left something to be desired (like say, athleticism), the cheer squad was very impressive. They had tons of energy, enthusiasm, and flexibility, all of which should come in handy when they pop out eight kids a piece over the next few years:

Labels: BYU, Cheerleading Goodness, Magic Spankies

Aggies fans endured a difficult loss to UCLA Saturday in a game that was plagued by inconsistent officiating that took away any flow or tempo from the contest. The only time there was any sense of rhythm on the court was when either the UCLA or Texas A&M dancers performed during timeouts. Here are the Aggie girls in action:

Labels: Aggies, Cheerleading Goodness

Photos of the Stanford Dollies in action are elusive- mainly because they spend a lot of time standing around. Some may view their routines as traditional, while others see them as choreography that's outdated by 60 years. Amazingly, I was able to capture a few photos of this dance team while performing in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament.

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, Stanford

Fear not, Mr. Enberg- you are neither the first, nor will you be the last, to be captivated by the UCLA Dance Team:





Oh My!

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

Talking briefly to a few members of the UCLA spirit squad last week, it was mentioned half-jokingly that as a member of the team in Los Angeles one has the dream that they'll be discovered during a game and that it will lead to bigger things. I'd like to think that I've done my part in giving them some extra exposure this season- tho perhaps they were exposed a little more than they would have liked. Here are the lovely ladies of the UCLA dance team in action this past weekend:

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

Want to know the real reason that UCLA received some favorable calls at the end of their last few games (although Berkeley fans have since admitted that the Anderson non-foul looked legit)? It has nothing to do with the mystique of Pauley Pavilion or a Pac-10 conspiracy to ensure that the conference had a team with a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. No, the real influence over the minds of the zebras came from another set of UCLA representatives. Captured (albeit blurry) here is the one time the refs didn't miss the action on the court:




Hey, Libbey- Is that a whistle in your pocket or are you just happy to still have a job?

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

Let's see. I'm heading out for another long weekend in Vegas. What could I possibly post that will appease my readers until then?

Beginning today, the UCLA Bruins basketball team has a very important and difficult road trip in the state of Arizona. It's important because they likely need to win out in the Pac-10 if they want any chance of a #1 seed; and it's difficult not only because they'll be facing two Arizona teams that are fighting for their tournament lives, but also because the Bruins will have to take the court without the support of these girls:





Enjoy your weekend all.

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

Sunday night, I paid my first visit to the Galen Center, the newish (built in late 2006) basketball facility for the USC Trojans which is located just a few urine-soaked blocks from the main campus. Wearing UCLA blue to the game, there were a few things I knew to expect. I knew that I'd be booed and cursed at by USC students (I was, although it wasn't excessively vulgar at all); and I knew that if the Bruins were to win, Trojan fans would immediately invoke the recent history of the football programs (they did). But one thing I wasn't prepared for was the aural assault that was Petros Papadakis as the PA announcer.

For those that don't live in Southern California, here's the best way I can describe Petros. Remember when Tony Siragusa was on Hard Knocks and in preparation for a career outside of football, Goose tried to portray himself as the fat, fun-loving court jester- only he wasn't really that funny, so instead he was just loud and obnoxious? Well try to imagine that rather than getting a tv gig where he could receive some training, Siragusa was instead given a sports radio talk show where the more obnoxious he was, the more airtime he would be given. That's Petros Papadakis; and for some reason USC has decided to give him a microphone for a captive USC audience. It's absolutely brutal. By the end of the game, I wanted to borrow a gun from one of the SC fans, blow my brains out, and leave a note beside me which read, "Whoever finds this, please pick up the gun and empty the chamber into my head so that my ears can never be raped again." C'mon Southern Cal. The voice of your basketball program is a mindless, witless blowhard. Even I think you deserve better.

As for the game itself- while Tim Floyd may be a brilliant defensive tactician, he leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to player development. The Trojans only substituted one player out (Jefferson) the entire game, leaving the other four to play all 40 minutes of the game. I know SC was down an injured player, but there had to be somebody on that bench who could steal a few minutes of rest for the starters. No wonder the Trojans finished the game with more turnovers (22) than field goals (20). I'm just surprised that nobody vomited on the ball.

If the Bruins want to make it back to the Final Four, somebody is going to have to find their outside shot. In their last four games, the Bruins are 7 for 44 from beyond the arc. Josh Shipp has missed his last 15 attempts at three pointers. Lately, their most potent long range shooter has been center/forward Kevin Love. Fortunately, the team's next games are at home vs the worst team in the conference, Oregon State and a team that plays pretty loose defense, Oregon. If they're ever going to find their shooting touch, it should be against these schools.

This was the first year in which the visiting team's cheerleaders, dance team and band didn't make the trip for the rivalry games as financial greed (initiated by UCLA) has taken priority over tradition. One would have guessed that this would at least mean more floor time for the USC Song girls during timeouts, but instead the marketing experts at the Galen Center opted to use that time to promote SC alum Will Ferrell's new movie, "Semi-Pro." There was a trailer for the movie on the jumbotron, the dance team performed to one of the songs from the movie, and fans were given cardboard cutouts of Will Ferrell's face to wave around during free throws. Either SC is really proud of their prodigal son or they're getting some points on the back end of the movie. I'm guessing it's the latter. Meanwhile, the Song Girls spent most of the timeouts prancing in a corner behind the baseline. That's inexcusable.

Matt Leinart was sitting courtside at the game, and surprisingly, he was with his son Cole and his baby momma, Brynn Cameron. They all appeared to be happy, which must mean that Matt's child support check had just cleared.

While I think the architects of the Galen Center got a few things wrong, being in a new building was a stark reminder of how outdated Pauley Pavilion has become. There's really no excuse for one of the top basketball programs in the country to be playing in a building that offers neither the intimacy nor the amenities of these newer facilities. Actually, the Galen Center doesn't offer much in the way of intimacy either. It's a rather sterile, concrete structure in which the students were screwed over by being put behind the backboard. Worst of all, the seating was designed in such a way that you feel removed from the action on the court and feel much more like a distant observer than an active participant. For example, my seats were in row 14 behind the backboard opposite the SC students, and yet I was so far from center court that I had to take an Ansel Adams landscape approach to the photos I took. That is, if Ansel Adams was a horny old man instead of some dude that just liked nature. Well, judge for yourself:

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, NCAA Basketball, USC

I've been going to UCLA basketball games for many years, and I can't remember a weekend series where the team has looked so dominant. In sweeping the Arizona schools, their play was efficient, unselfish, and unyielding. In short, they looked like a team of championship caliber.

Fittingly, the UCLA dance team was equally spectacular during the Arizona series. While always an exhibit of beauty and athleticism, this crew brought an energy and sex appeal that assured the crowd that there would be no downtime during timeouts. Fortunately, I had my camera to document the action on display:

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

A female friend of mine was kind enough to invite me to the UCLA-Washington game tonight. While she's already aware that I'm a bit of a perv, I prefer that she thinks I'm the amusing kind of perv and not the creepy variety. As a result, my cheerleader photo ops were limited. Here, however, are a few that somehow made their way onto my camera:




As for the game itself, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was actually hitting his jumper, and when that happens, the Bruins are without a weak link on offense. Combine that with Russell Westbrook's ongoing Allen Iverson impression and UCLA's suffocating team defense (Ryan Appleby was not only held scoreless, but was only able to get off two shots the entire game) and it translated into an easy 69-55 victory in which UCLA was on cruise control the entire second half. Bruins will get a stronger test of where they're at as a team Saturday when they face the most efficient team in the country, the Washington State Cougars.

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

The Wooden Classic was played over the weekend, and since it was a few days ago, here's a quick refresher on the action from that day. The Bruins dance team came out wearing their jersey tops (a fan favorite) but elected to wear pants instead of shorts and knee high socks. As a result, UCLA struggled early. At halftime, the girls changed into their blue dresses with the high slits, and it was the Bruins' game from that point on. I think some guys scored some baskets too, but my camera doesn't really have much evidence of that:

Labels: Cheerleading Goodness, UCLA

While at Pauley Pavilion, I did manage to pull the camera away from Steve Lavin's chisel