Beyond the sidelines, Elon University’s cheer team is embracing a new chapter, not just as athletes, but as competitors entering Game Day cheer competitions for the first time in program history. Elon’s cheer team recently participated in the College Classic Competition hosted by Dance Team Union, which provides both virtual and in-person competitive opportunities for collegiate cheer and dance programs. Elon cheer entered the virtual competition in the Spirit Showdown Gameday Division and placed first.
Assistant cheer coach Marcus Thompson said he sees passion through the team, especially as they connect with prospective students.
“A lot of our current members, they’re excited to talk about not only Elon cheer, but just the university, and to give them as much information as possible and make sure that they’re also going to be successful at Elon during their time here, if they decide to come here so and also when they go interact with the community,” Thompson said.
In addition to representing the Elon Phoenix on the mat and on the field, the team also has a strong stake in philanthropy in the community according to head coach Susan Turner who is both a cheer alum and Elon University alum who graduated in 1987. Turner said that the team volunteers in the community by visiting soup kitchens and volunteering for Rise Against Hunger and Relay for Life.
“Last year, we went to Miss Kim’s Dance Center and actually did a cheer clinic with the special populations children,” Turner said. “These are children that are on crutches or in wheelchairs and we were able to teach them some chants.”
Community is a big aspect for the cheer team. Sophomore Charlotte Moody said it was the positivity she saw when she attended a Phoenix Friday, which is an opportunity for admitted students and families to experience and look at life as an Elon student, that drew her into joining the team in the first place.
“I went to a clinic on a Phoenix Friday, and the girls were just so awesome,” Moody said. “I had gone to other cheerleading clinics at other colleges and universities, and I just didn’t feel the same welcome bond. Everybody, you could tell, was joking with each other and liked each other, and it wasn’t a super competitive environment.”
For senior and team co-captain Charlotte Todd, the strong academics and close-knit community were what drew her to Elon and the cheer team.
Senior and co-captain Lily Cohen said joining the team felt like home and that she wished more people knew how hard the team worked.
“We’re a really strong group of athletes, and we work just as hard as any other athlete, athletic team here on campus, so I wish we got more recognition for that,” Cohen said.
This year would be the first in the program’s history where the team will compete with a team made of freshmen and sophomores, while the D.C. Championship group is made of juniors and seniors. Thompson said after the first competition he has high hopes for this newly formed competition team.
“We definitely chose the right competition for us, because we’ve always been a game day team more of a show team, and with that competition, it just showed our strengths even more and enhanced it even more so now that we had that game day experience,” Thompson said. “We knew that we had to specify a couple things just to be able to score well in the competition, we’re going to be able to take that lesson and be able to use a lot of those tools that we use for this competition.”
Cohen said she has seen the team’s skillset grow over her four years.
Members of the Elon University Cheer team during practice March 10 in South Gym.
Todd said while this is her last season as a cheerleader, she will continue to cheer for the team in upcoming competitions. Todd said the team has gotten more skillful over the past few seasons.
“They’re starting to compete now, which is something that we never did, which is pretty cool to watch, and I’m proud, proud to cheer them on next year, while not being the one competing,” Todd said.
In addition to being cheerleaders, the program is in its second year of having their athletes on scholarships.
Academic scholarships for dance and cheer come directly from admissions, and Elon University President Connie Book first awarded them in 2023. They’re available only to first‑year students, who can apply after making the team. As long as a student continues to earn a spot on the team each year and maintains at least a 3.0 GPA, the scholarship is renewed annually throughout their time at Elon University.
Thompson said these scholarships have brought in more interest for incoming freshmen, especially from cheer combines, which is a showcase event for cheerleaders — usually in high school or junior college to display skills such as tumbling, jumping and stunting in front of multiple college coaches and recruiters at once. Thompson said the program has gotten over 400 prospective student-athletes this year.
Moody said since they don’t get a big audience at games, she wishes more people will come to understand the work that goes beyond the glitter and cheers. Moody emphasized that many of the cheerleaders come from different backgrounds like gymnastics and diving who are tumbling and building pyramids.
“I wish that more people just understood, we’re not just shaking our pom poms,” Moody said “I think it’s a big misconception that all we do is yell and dance.”