Cheerleaders Serve Effectively Building School Spiri Sports, like most things, are greatly benefitted by support - not just claps, but yells that rock the stands and fire up the teams. Spirit is a major asset to the sports program at Harding. Spirit often is the boost a team needs to make a come-back or simply to endure until the end. A group of girls is especially interested in building the spirit during games as well as promoting a good image for the teams. Many hours are spent in preparation for the job of leading crowds to the height of excitement for their team and their time spent is evident in its results. The football cheerleading squad quickly started the year with the first football game in September. The girls who spent hours of practice to perfect their cheerleading skills for the football season were Kristen Beeson , Kim Carpenter, Kellee Cilty, Karen Jones, Rhonda Laney , Melissa Mallard and Gina Ward. The 1984-85 school year marked the second year that Harding sponsored two cheerleading "Ready Set!" Usa Foster, Kristen Beeson , Gina Conner, Sandy Garner and Cheryl Corbin perform during a time out at a home basketball game. - photo by Matt Wissinger. Football Cheerleaders. Front row: Jones, Carpenter, Ward . Back row ; Mallard , Beeson, Laney . Citty. - photo by Public Relations Office. 164 Cheerleaders squads, a fall and a spring squad. When the basketball season rolled around, tryouts were held again and new members were added along with those who decided to return. The girls who cheered the Bisons during basketball season were Kristen Beeson , Rhonda Laney, Gina Connor, Cheryl Corbin, Lisa Foster and Sandy Garner. Practice to prepare the girls for cheerleading began a week before school started. This helped the girls get acquainted before the burden of classes and activities got too heavy. Throughout the seasons of their respective sports, the girls practiced three days a week from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Club activities, studies and spiritual activities also contributed to the hectic days of the cheerleaders. Cheerleadering is a lot of hard work, but it's worth it when the fans help the team in a game that they are behind and eventually win the game. - Cheryl Corbin As with most activities, cheerleading consisted of more than simply getting the crowd fired up. Their duties extended into supporting the team through positive action. The cheerleaders took the time to decorate the Bison lockerroom and participated in the Homecoming celebration. The hours the girls spent to help the crowd and the players was evident as they progressed . Their dedication surely improved the spirit towards Harding's sports program. "Oh. No!" Rhonda Laney . Bison Mascot -Todd Frazier and Kim Carpenter wait to see if a Bison football player is alright. - photo by James McCreary.
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