They are as much a part of the tradition of collegiate athletics as the fight song or Homecoming.

Their presence always gets folks in the spirit, the mood to cheer.

They make fans smile. The game just wouldn't be the same without them.

Of course I'm talking about cheerleaders and mascots, the young people whose jobs are to keep us fired up before and during the game. . . keep us entertained.

The UW Spirit Squad is comprised of 38 dedicated young student-athletes who lift, train, practice and go to college just like any other of Wyoming's over 400 student-athletes.  

The stipends are small, the expectations great.  Almost every one of them has a job to pay for school.

But make no mistake, they love what they do, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Our kids love the events and look forward to the opportunities," says Danielle Cole who is the Spirit Squad and Outreach Director for UW.  She also directs the Spirit Squad at Laramie High School, and is a physical therapist at Ivinson Memorial Hospital.

The "Spirit Squad" encompasses both the cheerleaders and mascot Pistol Pete.  Cole likes to have four "Pistols" on the roster each year.  

"While Cheer appears at over 150 events a year, Pistol Pete is expected to attend some 200 events," Danielle says. "He's a really popular guy."

The squad is always in the house at home athletics events, and attends a select number of road contests.  It also is present at a variety of campus events.  In addition, Pistol gets the call for anything from birthday parties, to bridal and baby showers, to weddings.  For those type of events he gets paid.  Danielle spreads those paid events among the four individuals on the roster.

Not everyone attends every event, that's why the roster is as large as it is. "I think everyone wants to be at every event," says their coach.  "But with school, and other commitments they can't make everything."       

Wyoming supports these Cowboys and Cowgirls better than just about any other institution in the Mountain West.  These programs are an after-thought in many collegiate departments.  At Wyoming the squad has access to the weight facilities, academic support and sports medicine.  "That doesn't happen at a lot of places," says Danielle.

To build her roster, Danielle does not do a tremendous amount of recruiting.  There is a Colorado cheer and dance competition that she attends usually in December, as well as one in Wyoming in March.  Those two events yield many of the squad's new members.  Social platforms and word of mouth, especially by program alums, are also important recruiting vehicles.

The vast majority of the roster is comprised of Wyoming and Colorado natives.  There are maybe seven or eight a year who are from elsewhere.

Danielle herself is one of those alums.  A Laramie native, she was a member of the cheer squad some 12 seasons ago. "Being from Laramie, Cowboy and Cowgirl athletics was ingrained in me. Having been a cheerleader, I thought it would be fun to coach, and while it demands a lot of hours, I really enjoy it."

 She became an assistant coach in January of 2018.  When the previous coach, Matthew Ortega, took another position, she was named head coach before Nationals in January of 2019.  She has a part time assistant, Guillermo Guerrero—everyone calls him 'G'-- who works at Laramie's Middle School.

What does Danielle look for in her squad members?  "We look for individuals with the ability to adapt to our style.  We are more traditional here, but they have to be athletic enough to be able to do collegiate stunting.  We look for good people who are well-rounded enough to fit our program.  They have to be willing to give a ton of their time for practice and events.  We have to have kids with good skills and good attitudes.

"Cheer has exploded as far as athleticism," she continues.  "There are not a whole lot of limitations on what we can do in stunting these days.  That does vary by what surface we are on, however.  There are more rules for a hardwood floor than there for a football field, for example.  We have a lot of very athletic individuals who can do a lot of stunts, but it is tough on the body.  Because it's so much more athletic these days, cheer squads are doing a lot more.  We see a lot of video on social and everyone is getting really creative with different stunts.  Our kids see things on social and send it to each other.  They are always wanting to do more. These videos are circulating and a big help to everyone."

Danielle conducts tryouts for the squad in mid-to-late April each year.  She posts the invitation on all of her social outlets and by word of mouth.  She screens some 100 applicants each year to fill the vacant positions.  Her graduating class is usually under 10 a year.  It's a very selective process.  

Those who don the Pistol Pete gear have to be special individuals.  "Being animated without speaking is not an easy thing to do," she says.  "They can't change the facial expression, and they can't talk.  Yet they must communicate.  Because it's difficult to see out of that big Pistol costume, we always send two 'Petes' to each event to help each other." 

I'm thinking that most fans take Cheer for granted.  But there's a great deal of training and dedication involved from the stunts to learning how to communicate with supporters and donors.  "They learn how to communicate other than texting," Danielle says.  "That's one of the really important life skills that they take away from their experience. They represent UW with our fan base and they understand how important the role is.

"We practice three times a week and lift twice a week.  Once we get into training for nationals after Winter Break, that team practices five times a week."

The "national" team is selected from among the entire squad, and is comprised of 25 individuals. "Our national team is made up of individuals who have the highest skill level and a great commitment to the program," says Danielle.

"Nationals are really important to us.  It is a big help in our recruiting because many of the regional schools don't compete there.  We are an emerging program nationally, and that's exciting.  It's a big deal in our world, and the kids really enjoy it."

Speaking of kids, Danielle is the proud mother of a two year old named Addie.  Will she be a cheerleader?  "If she wants to be," says Mom. "Like me when I was growing up, she loves to be around our team and the games."

Who knows, her mother may be coaching her one of these days!