Editors Note: This feature previously appeared in the June/July issue of SKATING Magazine
By Harry Thompson
Rylee Stauss was born to be a University of North Dakota hockey cheerleader. Literally. From the time she was 5 months old, the native of Grand Forks, North Dakota, has been attending games with her family and c
heering on her favorite college hockey team.
And now, as a senior business administration major, she is wrapping up her fourth and final season as a captain of the school’s hockey cheerleading team. The opportunity to lead the Fighting Hawks faithful in cheers both on and off the ice at Ralph Englestad Arena was a lifelong goal.
“[The Ralph arena] is my favorite place ever,” Stauss says. “I’ve literally grown up watching UND hockey and watching the cheerleaders … and to finally be one of them is just like a dream come true for me. It just feels so right going to UND.”
To lead the cheers for one of the most rabid fan bases in all of college sports is an honor that she and her 15 teammates don’t take for granted. There’s no way they can. Competition for a coveted spot on the squad is fierce, the training regimen grueling and the rewards beyond fulfilling.
Tryouts take place in April, and from there things only get more intense. Under the watchful eye of coach Laurel Peabody Sanderson, herself a former UND cheerleader, the squad is pushed through the practice paces several times a week, including off-ice weight- training sessions and on-ice sessions.
“It’s a year-round commitment,” says Sanderson, who was on the team from 2012 to 2016. “Once tryouts are over, we hit the ground running right away.”
For the skaters like Stauss, the hard work and sacrifice are worth it when it comes time to perform in front of the loyal fans, both at home and on the road.
“Growing up UND is like all I’ve known. We’re definitely a hockey town. It has just been the best four years of my life,” she says. “Sometimes we have 6 a.m. practices on a Friday morning, and it really doesn’t even matter what time it is. I’m just so excited to be at the rink and doing what I love.”
The sport of hockey cheerleading offers figure skaters a way to continue to skate and perform. The camaraderie that comes with being part of a tightknit squad just adds to the collegiate experience.
North Dakota’s hockey cheer program has been around for more than 65 years. In the early years the program attracted individuals who had more of a cheer or a dance background and they learned how to glide on the ice. According to Sanderson, as the years have passed, more emphasis has been placed on skating skills.
“There are some high-level skaters, and I feel like it’s going up and up each year that I’ve been coaching or have been a part of it,” she says. “I’ve seen it grow and grow, and we’re bringing in more top-level skaters, which is exciting.”
During the game, skaters not only perform on the ice, but as the puck drop nears, they hurry off the ice and remove their skates before heading into the stands to perform cheer and dance routines.
“Every game we hear from people, whether it’s the staff at the Ralph or fans or whoever it is, alumni or the president of the university, that they’re so grateful we’re there and that we add to the experience,” Sanderson says. “So, that’s really fun.”
The number of hockey cheer teams around the country is difficult to tally, but in addition to North Dakota, there are talented teams at the University of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Duluth and Bemidji State University, to name but a few.
For skaters who are looking to stay involved in the sport while earning their college degree, Stauss offers a simple piece of advice.
“I would say if any skater wanted to join hockey cheer to really take every moment in and don’t take anything for granted,” she says. “Just have as much fun as you can because it goes by really fast.”
