Aggies cheer on community
TEMPLE, Oklahoma (October 26) – Community service has always been a very important part of Cameron University athletics. Last year the Aggies set a goal of 2,500 total community service hours, and this year they are reaching for even more. Each of Cameron’s eleven athletic programs take part in as many community service activities as possible and tonight was no exception.
This evening the Cameron Aggie cheerleaders traded in their black and gold for the red and white of the Temple Tigers. Tonight was Temple (Oklahoma) High School’s annual homecoming football game, but they were without a cheerleading squad. School officials contacted Cameron head cheerleading coach Robin Martin and before long the Aggies were enlisted to cheer on the Tigers. “When I presented the team with this opportunity they were really excited about it,” Coach Martin said. “Even when they found out it would take up their Friday night, they couldn’t wait to make the trip.”
In front of a very large crowd, the Aggies cheered the Tigers to a 60-14 victory over the Duke High School Tigers. The game was called in the third quarter due to the forty-five point “mercy” rule, in which the game is ended early if one team is ahead by forty-five or more points after halftime. Temple’s football program competes at the Class C level and plays eight-man football. “The squad was really pumped to cheer at a football game, and for our first football game we did an exceptional job,” Coach Martin said. “We came together as a team and really rose to the challenge. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
The Aggie cheerleading squad, along with Ole Kim, cheered throughout the game and entertained the crowd at halftime with one of their dance routines. Temple’s local elementary school and junior high school also cheered at the event. “Temple was a great host tonight and we really look forward to sharing more athletic events with them in the future,” Coach Martin said. “We are very appreciative of the opportunity to cheer with them.”
Tonight’s football game was not the first chance the Aggie cheerleading squad had to help out in the community; just last week they helped out and participated in the Moonlight Walk Against Drugs at Elmer Thomas Park. Also last week they helped out with the Pinky Promise Walk Against Cancer by leading the crowd in stretches and participating with the actual walk, also held at Elmer Thomas Park. “This week has been a big challenge for us,” Coach Martin said. “Not only have we had to cheer at our normally scheduled athletic events, but we have had practices, attended classes, some of us have had to work, and we have still made time to give back to the community. The squad has really represented Cameron in a very positive way.”
The next event the Aggies will be cheering at is tomorrow’s volleyball match against West Texas A&M. The nationally ranked (#15) WTAMU Lady Buffs match up with the Aggies at 2:00pm at the Aggie Gym in the final home match of the 2007 season. At the match the cheerleading squad will be hosting a Halloween costume contest with prizes for first, second, and third place.
