By Tom Lanigan

Special to the Farmville Herald

The Longwood University Athletics Department made its transition into the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I sports program in 2005, and became a member of the Big South Conference in 2012.

During those years, many significant changes were implemented — including to the cheerleading program.

While new soccer and field hockey facilities have been built, and both the baseball and softball stadiums have been renovated with new playing fields, locker rooms and grandstand seating have also been complimented by new electronic scoreboards. Willett Hall has new lighting, a new sound system and refinished court.

And what’s the best way to bring a high level of energy to those NCAA DI basketball games? A high energy cheerleading program.

The Lancer cheerleading squad has undergone a remaking of its own since cheerleader coach Megan Miller took over the program in 2012.

“I think we have made some excellent strides as a spirit program over the past four years,” said Miller. 

“The crowd is more involved in the game itself, and we are able to keep them engaged in and excited for the action.” When asked about designing new stunts and routines, Miller said, “We are always looking at new, innovative, and increasingly difficult stunts to complete to keep the timeouts fresh and interesting, and we are always looking at incoming freshman for those who can make our team stronger. Ultimately, the strength of my program lies in the girls themselves. They are incredibly hard workers who dedicate enormous amounts of time and effort to their sport.”

Miller said the NCAA DI cheerleaders are governed under the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) adding, “Because we work on a hardwood floor instead of a grass field (like in football) or a mat floor (like in competition), the skills we can do are limited. For example, we cannot throw basket tosses on the hardwood– even though we are physically capable, it’s not an allowable skill in the safety guidelines, so we can’t use them. It’s understandable, and the safety of the squad is my main priority, but it can be frustrating to them and to me to see something we want to do that we know the crowd would like, but not be able to do it.”

Since the Lancer cheerleader team has become a true spirit squad Miller said “Each year we get larger numbers of girls trying out. It’s great to have so much interest, but it can be very hard to me to cut people, especially when there is so much talent at tryouts. It’s my least favorite part of the job, and I bring in some great assistants for tryout weekend to help me make those difficult decisions.”

Freshman Devin Anderson said, “I think the cheerleading team enhances the overall game experience because it is a great way to get the crowd pumped up during the game and I think it keeps the players working hard all the way to the end because they know we are supporting them.” Anderson said the most rewarding part of being a Lancer cheerleader “is performing with my team during games. It is an amazing experience because we all work so hard on these routines and it’s great to see the crowd enjoy them. I think it is great being able to work together and engage the crowd during the game.”

As with all the sports teams, the cheerleader team has a rigorous and regimented practice schedule as well.  Anderson said, “A typical Tuesday and Thursday means waking up at 5:30 for 6:00 lift then everyone typically gets breakfast as a team at 7:00. We all then go to classes during the day then at night at 7:30 we have practice which normally lasts two hours so we end around 9:30.”  When asked why she wanted to be a Lancer cheerleader, Anderson said, “I decided to cheer for Longwood because I had cheered all through high school and have done gymnastics my whole life so I wanted to continue doing what I loved through college. Cheering for Longwood just made this place feel at home.”

Senior team member Lauren Giles agreed with Anderson and said, “When I graduate in May, a lot of my most cherished memories will be the time I spent with the team. Plus, we all have tremendous respect and admiration for Coach Miller. Over the past 4 years under Coach Miller, we have really become a solid cheerleader squad and we can feel the energy when we take the floor during time outs.”

Off the court

During the off season, the Lancer Cheerleaders are still at work. Miller said, “As a team we host clinics and day camps, and we also assist with activities around campus, such as the Alumni Day events this winter, which was a huge success. We help out on orientation days during the summer and complete community service projects as well. The girls are involved in a large number of activities on their own as well, from service and social Greek organizations to honor societies and major-related clubs. The team is very active on and off campus.”

The level of competition in college sports at the NCAA DI level is just under the professional leagues. This also true for the cheerleading squads, and the Lancer Cheerleaders are an integral part of both the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the team excels at keeping the players, fans and the Lancer spirit in the game.