Purdue University's cheerleaders will adhere to certain standards of academic achievement, conduct, responsibility, health habits, and dress. Certain standards are also established for public appearances, performances, during travel, the selection process, and expectations placed upon them as representatives of one of the premier athletic departments and research institutions in the country.

Al Enlow, Coach                 Jan Winger, Advisor
Room 15 Mackey Arena            Room 15 Mackey Arena
(765) 494-6216                  (765) 494-3202
E-mail: aenlow@purdue.edu        E-mail: jewinger@athletics.purdue.edu

If you are interested in trying out for the 2000-01 squad please attend one of the following meetings:

*November 27, 1999 at 1:00 p.m
or
*November 29, 1999 at 6:30 p.m.

Place: Mollenkopf Athletic Center (Indoor Football Field)
Bring: A pen or pencil

*Tryout information, policies, expectations etc. are presented at this meeting. This is not a required meeting. The information can be mailed to you if you prefer or if you live at a distance too far to travel to campus.

**TRYOUTS WILL BE HELD SATURDAY, APRIL 22, 2000 BEGINNING AT 9:00 A.M.
LOCATION: MACKEY ARENA
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

**You may tryout via video tape for whatever reason.

Criteria for candidates:
• Undergraduate status must be maintained both semesters during the actual year of competition.
• Only full-time undergraduate students attending the West Lafayette campus of Purdue University may cheer.
• The student must maintain a minimum of 12 hours f undergraduate study per semester.
• Maintain the standards set for all Big Ten athletes with regards to academics.
• Maintain physical and mental standards that allow the selected student to represent Purdue without undue harm or embarrassment.

The cheerleaders at Purdue are selected on the basis of appearance, personality, enthusiasm, cheerleading abilities, academics, memory, and gymnastics skills. For the 2000 tryout a minimal number of athletes will be selected based on their stunting skills.

An overview of the tryout process:
During the morning session of the tryouts, ALL candidates learn a fight song and band cadence. The women also learn a four 8 count funk dance. A certain amount of time is allotted for candidates to learn material-usually 20 minutes for fight song, five minutes for cadence, and 30 minutes for the dance.

Everyone has to demonstrate their tumbling skills. The women are required to throw a standing back tuck and back handspring back as well as two tumbling "tricks" of their choice which may be either standing or running. The men will be asked to throw a standing back tuck and back handspring as well as two tumbling "tricks" of their choice. It is not possible for a female to make the squad without a solid standing back and back handspring back. It is possible for males to make the squad without solid standing tumbling, but they have to demonstrate the potential to do a standing back.. Everyone will do a toe touch and a jump of their choice (the toe touch cannot be used again even if doing a stamina jump).

The preliminaries are not scored. The coach posts a list of finalists based on the skills demonstrated during the morning session. A panel of former Purdue cheerleaders (with the exception of one panel member who has a cheerleading background but did not cheer at Purdue) will score the candidates during the final selection using the same material. In addition to performing skills, the finalists will be asked to go before the judging panel alone to either present information or answer questions about themselves. There is also a very brief interview conducted by two or more individuals. The other category scored in "Overall Impression". The judges may use this category any way they choose. Overall impression and the interview are the catergories worth the most points.

Stunting information will be available later in the season. Stunting will not be required of everyone.

There is a $10 judges' fee payable the day of tryouts.

If you are going to tryout using a video please contact Al Enlow or Jan Winger after January 15.

There will be a yet to be determined charge for video taped entries in addition to the $10 judges' fee.

Being a Purdue cheerleader is a full year commitment.
The Purdue cheerleaders cheer at all home volleyball matches, all football games (the Big Ten only allows for six cheerleaders to travel to away conference games), all home men's and women's basketball games.

THE PURDUE WOMEN ARE THE 1999 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

The cheerleaders also travel to the Bowl game, select non-conference basketball games, the Big Ten Tourneys, and the NCAA Tournament. First and second year members of the squad to a limited amount of travel-travel is based on seniority which is very important in our program.

What is it like to cheer at Purdue?
Purdue is one of the largest universities in the country with an enrollment of about 37,000 students. About 7000 of our students are enrolled in the Schools of Engineering. Many of these engineers are on the cheerleading squad. The demands placed on the cheerleaders are many, but it is great preparation for the "real world". Practices take place every week day (6:30-9:00 p.m.). Rookies to our program are required to do study tables (freshmen have to do 10 hours a week; transfers or other upperclass rookies have to complete 5 hours usually). This is a strictly supervised "study hall" conducted in the athletic department's academic facility for athletes.

Volleyball matches usually take place on Friday and Saturday nights. Football game days usually last about eight hours. Basketball game days can take place any day of the week and usually last four hours.

Ross-Ade Stadium seats 67,332 Boilermaker fans, Mackey Arena seats 14,123 fans and is sold out for every men's game (the women average about 10,000, but have sold out as well), and the Intercollegiate Athletic Facility where volleyball plays its matches seats 1650 fans.

The cheerleaders that are not cheering a certain game are included on a pass list so they may enjoy the game as a spectator (complimentary tickets are used for men's basketball).

The Purdue cheerleaders have excellent support from the Purdue Athletic Department and community.

The Purdue cheerleading program is recognized as one of the best all around programs in the country. The Boilermakers compete at the National Cheerleaders Association's Collegiate National Championship. The Boilers finished 6th during the 1999 championship which aired on CBS.

Purdue's biggest rival in athletics is Indiana University which is about two and a half hours south of West Lafayette.

In football the Boilers play Illinois for a canon, Indiana for the Old Oaken Bucket, and Notre Dame for the Shillelagh. The volleyball team plays Indiana for the Monon Spike and the women's basketball team plays Indiana for the annual Barn Burner Trophy.

Approximately 20% of our cheerleaders are members of a fraternity or sorority; 60% live off-campus; four years of eligibility are allowed; there are nine seniors (six will use up their eligibility this year), 10 juniors, four sophomores, and seven freshmen; book waivers are given to all veteran cheerleaders-this takes care of all book expenses; cheerleading is considered varsity at Purdue; and the cheerleaders perform at approximately 200 events each season (all or a portion of the squad).

Awards:

• First year -- Varsity plaque
• Second year -- Varsity jacket
• Third year -- Varsity blanket
• Fourth year -- Senior ring or watch

If you are interested in trying out for the Boilermaker cheerleading squad please complete this information sheet and mail it to:
Al Enlow
Room 15 Mackey Arena
West Lafayette, IN 47907

OR

contact Al Enlow so your name will be included on the tryout list.