KEITH ENRIQUEZ/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Brendan
McCluney of the yell squad contributes to the school
spirit and energy during sporting events.
By Jackie Abellada
Daily Bruin Contributor
You’ve seen them everywhere in games. Those crazy group of
kids in their khaki shorts and rugby shirts yelling and cheering
and clapping endlessly.
The yell crew brings a powerful presence to UCLA athletic
contests, ensuring that the crowd is on their feet to elevate the
Bruin’s performance.
“I think that it gives us a hidden kind of energy ““
it helps motivate us to play harder,” said Malika Leatham,
the center on the women’s basketball team. “I know when
the game is not going the way we want to and you hear them cheer
for you still, it does help to make you want to play harder, and
keep trying, and not give up.”
The yell crew is one of the most enduring components of the
Spirit Squad, which also includes the cheer team, the dance team
and the mascots ““ Joe and Josephine Bruin. Its members are
responsible for interacting with the fans and students, engendering
a personal liaison with them during competitions.
“I think they really create the ambiance and really bring
the spirit and the tradition to UCLA events,” said Mollie
Quinn, the UCLA Spirit Squad adviser.
The basic purpose of the yell crew is quite simple: to get the
crowd riled up to the point where it can hinder the opposing
team’s play-calling. The Sept. 1 UCLA football game against
Alabama illustrated just that.
“We had a pretty small size crowd there, but we were still
making a lot of noise because we just kept saying
“˜UCLA’ over and over again, just so that the fans
around us will get really annoyed,” said Brendan Raher, the
yell crew captain.
In the end, the Bruins triumphed over the Crimson Tide 20-17
despite the hostile Tuscaloosa crowd.
The yell crew holds auditions in the beginning of every spring
quarter to see who out there can yell the loudest while still
maintaining composure and a smile. The would-be yellers are
required to lead six different cheers with a microphone, signs and
hand gestures in front of a panel of judges. There is also an
interview process in which they have the opportunity to express why
they wish to become one of a few scream leaders during the
competitions.
Those who can exercise their vocal cords to the fullest extent
and impress the judges with their abilities will have the honor of
being able to travel to away games in cities such as Seattle,
Philadelphia, and North Carolina for free.
Last spring, approximately 30 to 35 people tried out for the
part and five ““ Raher, Sharalynn Howard, Brendan McCluney,
Jessica Mays, and Ariel Hankin ““ were chosen to represent and
lead the UCLA spirit during the games.
Bruin fans can witness these yellers at their best at all home
football and basketball games. But the list does not stop there.
Last year, they appeared at women’s volleyball games, water
polo contests, and several gymnastic meets. And, this year, they
will attempt to attend even more athletic battles.
The yell crew’s typical work day begins hours before a
game and goes on until at least an hour after it has concluded.
Raher remarked that before all football games, they must perform in
front of the alumni, chancellor and the recruiting tents.
At the games, they are in charge of leading various cheers
““ the “UC-LA,” the “8-clap,” and the
“Bruin spellout” being the most popular.
But being a proud UCLA yeller does have one major setback: they
become easy targets for opponent’s fans, especially during
road games.
“The fans love to make fun of the away team’s spirit
squad, and it is really tough sometimes because you want to retort,
but we must always remember that we are representing UCLA and we
must carry ourselves accordingly,” Raher said.
Quinn noted that opposing teams come to UCLA unmoved by what
they see as “passive” Bruin fans. During the past
several years, the yell crew has attempted to change that type of
mentality by getting the audience more excited and louder than it
has ever been before.
“My most memorable moment as a yell crew member was the
end of the Arizona basketball game last year,” Raher said.
“After UCLA won, the crowd charged the floor and I felt
really proud to be a Bruin. I have never experienced such a
heightened level of pandemonium.”
This year, the yell crew hopes to push the fans to their very
limits and hopefully assist the Bruins in their quest to maintain a
tradition of excellence.
UCLA CHEERS The evolution of UCLA cheers from
the 1970s to 2001 SOURCE: Geoffrey Strand and Yell Crew Captian,
Brendan Raher JARRETT QUON/Daily Bruin