Wake Forest Cheerleading, Dance Team & Mascots

Team Info

Coaches

Tryouts

Photo Gallery

Rosters

Mascots

Summer Camps

UCA/Varsity Website

TEAM INFORMATION

Wake Forest University Spirit Office 110 Manchester Athletic Center Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC 27109 (336) 758-4902 The Wake Forest University Spirit office is the home of the Demon Deacon Cheerleaders, Dance Team and mascots. Varied scholarship money is available for two dancers, up to 8 cheerleaders and 2 mascots. The cheerleading squad is made up of 8 to 12 co-ed couples and cheers for 3 highly regarded ACC teams. The Dance Team is made up of traditionally 10 to 18 girls with high dance ability and performs at both football and basketball games. The season for both teams begins the first week of August with pre-season camp. The Demon Deacon Spirit teams begin cheering and dancing at the first football game and a select group travels to all away football games. In November the teams begin cheering and dancing for the nationally ranked Wake Forest Men's Basketball team and for the Women's team. There is no travel during basketball season which runs until late March. At the end of the season a select group does travel to cheer on the teams at the ACC Tournament. All athletes have to maintain a 2.5 GPA. Both teams practice at least 3 times a week for no less than 2 hours at a time. All teams also lift weights at least 2 times a week with the strength coaches. Team members must attend a weekly study hall.

COACHES

With the 2007-2008 season begins Head Coach Brent Campbell's 13th season as a college cheerleading coach. Campbell cheered at Appalachian State University 1991-95 and has worked with Universal Cheerleaders Association instructing and judging since college. He has coached at Francis Marion and Coastal Carolina Universities, both in South Carolina, prior to returning to his home town of Winston-Salem and becoming a Demon Deacon in the fall of 2000. Since taking over the program, the Demon Deacon spirit program has been ranked among the nation's top 20 with both UCA/UDA and NCA/NDA for the past 5 years. Assistant Cheer Coach Tanya Bowles joined the Demon Deacon Coaching staff in the spring of 2002. Bowles is the former director of the North Carolina High School Cheerleading Association and coached 5 time High School state champions, Davie County. Bowles has been coaching cheerleading for over 15 years and worked extensively with All-Star Cheerleading programs and championships across the country. She helped the Demon Deacon cheer team finish in the top 20 at UCA nationals in 2004 and in 2006. Assistant Dance Coach Carly Byman joined the Demon Deacon staff in the summer of 2004. A lifetime dancer, Carly danced on the nationally-ranked NC State Dance Team for four years. Carly has since dropped her Wolfpack ties and been assisting the Wake Forest Dance team since 2002 until she was hired to coach in 2004. She has helped coach the Demon Deacon Dance Team to top 20 national rankings with both UDA and NDA in 2004 and 2006. The coaching staff can be reached in the Spirit Office at (336) 758-4902.

TRYOUT INFORMATION

SPRING 2008 DATES - 2008-09 Spring Dance/Cheer/Mascot Tryouts will be Sunday, April 20, at 5:30 p.m. in Reynolds Gym (Varsity Gymnasium). Both teams have a fall and spring tryout. All tryouts are open to incoming freshmen who have been accepted and are 100 percent committed to Wake Forest. Tryouts last only one day. For dancers a tryout dance routine is taught and the coaching staff looks at how fast the dancers can pick up new material. If necessary, cuts are made in the first hours and final selections will be made by the coaches later in the day. Girls will be judged on performance of a variety of leaps, turns, and other basic technical dance skills, as well as their performance of the learned routine. Interviews will be conducted by the head coach and will be taken into account before being invited to join the team. Cheerleading tryouts also take one day. The coaching staff interviews everyone while watching a variety of skills. Cheer girls have to have a standing back handspring, a standing back-tuck, and a running tumbling pass. Guys are required to perform a standing back-tuck and a back handspring. Toss to hands extension with a twist/full cradle is required by everyone and they will be asked to execute 2 other optional partner stunts of their choice. Girls and guys will learn a fight song and will be judged on motion placement and overall dance ability. These try-outs are not for beginning cheerleaders or people without prior co-ed cheerleading experience. We announce who makes the gold (varsity) and the white (jv) teams after the year begins. Cheer girls should not wear slick shorts. Cotton shorts work best. Cheer girls also need to wear smooth bottomed shoes. If you are an incoming freshman, you must bring a letter of acceptance from the University. You must be 100 percent committed to attending Wake Forest. You will be required to sign an injury waiver upon arrival. All who make either squad will be required to be at Wake Forest the first week of August and sign a team rules and regulations contract. We will practice several days and then be attending Summer Choreography Camp. Camp is mandatory. All tryouts are held in Reynolds Gym, Varsity Gymnasium and are open for anyone to watch. If you have any further questions feel free to call the Spirit Office at (336) 758-4902.

SUMMER CAMPS

Every summer the Wake Forest Cheerleaders and Dancers host a Universal Cheerleaders/Dance Association summer instructional camp. The camp is open to all ages elementary to high school. Wake Forest fields and facilities provide the perfect environment to learn all teams need to begin their season successfully. The full service camp teaches squad stunting, dance, motion placement, cheers, and game material. Meals and lodging is provided in the camp costs. The camp is geared more toward team building but is open to individuals who wish to attend and improve their skills. For more information or to sign up click on the following link for Varsity Spirit, the parent company of UCA/UDA.