From The Sideline To The Spotlight

Written by: Nik Johnson

Orange: The Experience Magazine | V17 , Issue 3

While there are many pieces that come together to make gamedays so special in Tigertown, none may be more integral to the gameday experience than Clemson Cheer and the Rally Cats. Whether you see them on the sidelines during games, leading the team down Tiger Walk through a massive sea of orange, or performing during timeouts at Littlejohn Coliseum, the spirit programs elevate the environment and inspire enthusiasm for all generations of Tiger fans.

However, unbeknownst to most, gamedays are only a small part of the Clemson Cheer and Rally Cat experience. In addition to cheering on the Tigers from the sidelines, Clemson Cheer and the Rally Cats also participate in national competitions. These competitions require the most elite cheerleading and dance routines, often surpassing the level of skills that you would see performed on the sidelines on a typical gameday. As the spirit programs command the crowd and create the buzz during football & basketball games and gymnastics meets, the skills and routines they perform are relatively simple and “clean” compared to competition.

For cheer, a few basic flips and lifts will do the trick to engage the crowd, but not a competition judge. The routines the team brings to competitions are high-intensity two-minute long performances filled with tumbling, baskets (launching cheerleaders in the air), stunting, a pyramid, and even finishes with a dance!

For the Rally Cats, their competition routines also surpass the level of what is performed on a gameday. These routines involve a higher complexity of choreography, requiring elite synchronization and precision amongst the group. The will also practice and compete in several different genres of dance, different from a typical hip-hop style of routine commonly seen during timeout and halftime performances.

Just like any varsity sport on campus, the spirit programs train all year-round in preparation for competition.

The cheer team has 6:00 a.m. lifts, early morning practices, and sometimes even holds training sessions outdoors to mimic the sunny conditions they will face during their later season competitions. In the height of competition season in the winter, their training schedule often conflicts with men’s and women’s basketball games. To ensure they master their skills ahead of a big competition, the team will use the Swann Pavillion practice gym during halftime of games to practice their routines before going back out to cheer the second half from the sidelines.

The Rally Cats also take on a demanding schedule outside of gameday. The team holds practices four to five times a week throughout the year, and will even add extra sessions during the spring season to prepare for their end of the year competition. The Rally Cats juggle learning several routines at once to ensure they are ready to both perform at games and be ready to wow the judges on the competition stage.

It is that dedication and sacrifice that nobody sees outside of gameday, and shows just how much hard work is put into being a Clemson Cheerleader and Rally Cat that most Tiger fans do not see.

Each spring, their year-long training is put to the test up against the best cheer and dance programs in the country. This year, on April 9th and 10th, the cheer and Rally Cat programs took nearly 75 members down to Daytona Beach, Florida to compete in the 2026 NCA and NDA College Nationals. Hundreds of colleges and universities are represented during the two-day competition, competing in various divisions and categories. Two groups competed for cheer – All-Girl and Small Coed. The All-Girl squad earned third place while the Small Coed squad finished in tenth. The Rally Cats competed in two categories – Pom and Jazz. They made program history by taking home the silver medal finishing in second place in Pom, while also earning eighth place in the Jazz competition.

Beyond the sidelines and competition floor, Clemson Cheerleading and the Rally Cats provide its members with an incredible experience that will influence them for a lifetime. Junior cheerleader, Sabrina LoRusso, reflects on her two years in the program and what the cheer program has brought to her college experience at Clemson.

“The cheer program has impacted me in so many ways during my time here! I truly feel like it has set me up for life. It’s taught me discipline…from learning how to wake up early and show up consistently, to managing my time well, and building strong habits even when life gets busy,” said LoRusso. “I am forever indebted to Clemson cheerleading, and division 1 athletics for making me a more well-rounded person. Cheerleading has given me a platform to hopefully make an impact on those around me, whether it be teammates, staff, or strangers! It’s my goal to leave this program better than I found it, for the next cheerleaders coming in.”

For senior Rally Cat, Courtney Poole, being a part of the program has brought her dance career full circle.

“The Lord has been so kind during my four years as a Rally Cat! Getting to dance with my best friends every day and experience some of the most incredible Clemson Football and Basketball moments is truly special. Many of us grew up competing in dance on a stage, and the opportunity to compete every April at Nationals really brings our world full circle!” said Poole. “The Clemson Rally Cats bring the best of both worlds. The gameday experience is unmatched. There is nothing like the fan interactions and the Clemson spirit! On the competition side, making program history at Nationals this year was the best exclamation point to my four years as a Rally Cat!”

In addition to Clemson’s 21 varsity sport programs, one of IPTAY’s areas of support is Clemson Cheer and the Rally Cats. IPTAY dollars are used to impact over 100 students in the spirit programs each year, providing them with the resources necessary to be successful on gamedays, in competitions, in the classroom, and in life. Clemson Cheer and the Rally Cats extend far beyond what is seen during games in Memorial Stadium and Littlejohn Coliseum, instilling in its members lifelong values that will remain with them long after their time on campus is finished. Whether it’s on the sidelines or on the competition floor, IPTAY is proud to support all that goes into what makes the Clemson Cheer and Rally Cat experience so influential to those who are a part of it.