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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, August 30, 2006

UH cheerleader
Kyle DeLeonard

Kyle DeLeonard and partner Jacquelyn Morell give UH a lift.

JOAQUIN SIOPACK | The Honolulu Advertiser


Kyle DeLeonard was smart enough to realize he had a better future in cheerleading than football. A captain on his high school football team in Post Falls, Idaho, the 6-foot, 250-pound DeLeonard attended tryouts for male cheerleaders "as a joke." Soon after, he switched sports and has been cheering ever since. He cheered three years in high school and two years at North Idaho College. Now he is on a partial scholarship at UH, where he's been cheering for three years. He said "we all have assigned partners and do different stunts." He came to UH because, "it's one of the best programs in the nation."


What do you feel cheerleaders bring to a sporting event? Describe the excitement you get while cheering at UH sporting events.


"The purpose of having cheerleaders at a sporting event is to get the fans pumped up and help be that 12th man on the field or the extra defender out on the court. We're there to support and give our fellow athletes possibly the extra edge they need to win. We're also there to entertain the crowd during timeouts and to bring the spirit of aloha, not only to local fans, but to fans watching all around the world."

(Excitement from cheering)

"I love being in front of the crowd ... being in front of all those fans going crazy, you can feel when everyone's yelling and screaming. You can feel the force pushing against you. I totally get stoked."


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