After UW-Madison sophomore Michelle Stupka went to the Wisconsin vs. Indiana football game on Oct. 1, she could not recall the score. She could not tell you a memorable play, the best touchdown or even who the quarterback was.
But she could tell you what cheers and dances took place, if she ever made it up on the jumbo-tron (which she did) or if Bucky had to do more than 10 pushups in a row (which he did).
What Stupka enjoys the most about the Badger football games is the atmosphere in the crowd.
'The stadium is just full of energetic students with so much school spirit and Wisconsin pride . . . there is never a dull moment,' Stupka said.
Many students like Stupka come to Badger games because of the ambience in the stadium. The UW-Madison spirit squad, made up of the cheerleading squad, the dance team and Bucky Badger mascots, are the ones to thank.
With their mix of cheers, dances, tricks and flips, they capture the crowd and bring it to its feet.
However, this talent for creating enthusiasm does not come without a lot of hard work.
On a normal game day, the dance team works from approximately 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. for an 11 a.m. game. Megan Bowers and Laura Szulczewski, the senior captains of the dance team, said game day gets to be very long.
'We have 12 routines to learn and when the band starts to play, we have to know the routine. The initial five seconds of the song are very important,' Szulczewski said.
But the hard work and memorization definitely pays off. The enthusiastic student section is what keeps these students coming back to cheer each game.
Jessica Olson and Michael Neuenfeldt, both senior captains of the cheerleading squad, are no strangers to the effort involved with game day.
Both teams practice an average 10 to 15 hours a week and partake in home football and basketball games. They are also required to attend around 50 public relations events for the University and travel for selected games such as pre-parties and photo opportunities with Bucky.
'The tryout process is getting to be really competitive. The talent level is up, 80 students tried out in the spring for 20 slots' Szulczewski said comparing tryouts today to those from a few years ago.
Josette Scheer, who has been the director of the spirit squad for six years and was once on the team herself, has seen the program grow.
'It has evolved quite a bit. Ten years ago athleticism and talent wasn't as high as it is now,' Scheer said.
The cheerleading squad also experienced a great amount of interest this year. The team saw about 35 to 40 girls trying out for 17 spots. For males trying out for the cheer squad, the competition is not as high.
'Basically for guys, if you're competitive and willing to work hard, you're in,' Neuenfeldt said.
Every year, both teams participate at the national competition in Orlando, Fla. During Bower's and Szulczewski's freshman year at The Alamo Bowl, half the dance and cheer team caught the Norwalk Virus from the band and had to sit out for the week and a half of practices before Nationals.
Fortunately everyone recovered before the competition. The dance team ended up placing second in their division, the best in the history of the University.
The competitions, friendships and game days are all memories the spirit squad and those sitting in the student section will take with them after they graduate.
'When you're right in there, it makes you feel more part of the University and the tradition,' Neuenfeldt said.
He added, 'A lot of away cheerleaders come to us and ask, 'Do you do this every game'? And we say, 'Yep, that's every game at Wisconsin.' '
