As we celebrate Dads Day on Nov. 11, when the Fighting Illini take on the Indiana Hoosiers, it is important to honor every member of our FamILLy. From the players and coaches on the field, to the Marching Illini, to the cheerleaders, to everyone donning Orange and Blue throughout Memorial Stadium, to the Fighting Illini faithful near and far, our FamILLy is central to our success, both on and off the field. To honor different members of our famILLy, ahead of each football home game, we will share the stories of those who represent the values we uphold at Illinois. This week's edition of the FamILLy Focus series spotlights the Illinois cheer team and their families, all of whom work together to create a positive and exciting atmosphere inside and around Memorial Stadium on game days.
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They are on the sidelines every game day. They make their presence felt in Grange Grove. They run the flags, perform stunts, and coordinate cheers at football and men's and women's basketball games. They don the Orange and Blue, and they play an essential role in the success of Illinois athletics.
They are Illinois cheerleaders.
"Since joining the cheer team, doing the fight songs every week and using my abilities to promote a positive image of the university and everything that comes with being a cheerleader, it's definitely made my appreciation and love for the school grow a lot," said senior JP Hoffman. "Going from not being involved at all to being so involved, being able to be there every game day, being able to help get the crowd involved and put smiles on people's faces, it's given me a lot more pride for the school I go to."
For home games, the Illini cheer team typically arrives at Memorial Stadium three hours before kickoff to allow adequate time to prepare for the long day ahead. The squad then heads out to welcome the football team into Grange Grove for Illini Walk, as the cheer team leads the coaches, players and staff through crowds of Illinois fans and into the stadium.
After singing and cheering with the Marching Illini on the steps outside the stadium entrance, the cheer team heads to one of their most important parts of their game day routine: the cheer tailgate.
Run by parents of members of the team, the cheer tailgate involves lots of time and coordination. Tena Roseman – whose daughter, Madelyn, is a junior on the team – runs the show. A local kindergarten teacher, Roseman says the tailgate is like "organizing a party every game for about 100 people" and requires a few hours of planning every week.
Regardless of time and money all of the cheer parents invest in the tailgate every week, Rose Hoffman – whose sons, Anthony and JP, are on the team – says it is worth every penny.
"Anybody who can be there is there. The goal is definitely to feed the kids," Rose Hoffman said. "We drop what we're doing and chase them around all day. We chase them when they're walking the team. We stay there when the team gets off the bus, then we come back, then we wait for them to come meet us at the tailgate. We're there as cheer fans first and football fans second."
With the tailgate always located in the same spot, in Lot 31 and as close to Grange Grove as they can possibly get, the parents choose a specific theme for food every week, ranging from hors d'oeuvres, to Mexican, Italian, and American. Roseman sends out a SignUpGenius list two weeks before every home game to coordinate food, supplies, and equipment, and she keeps tents, tables, generators, and other gear in their shed since they only have to commute 30 minutes for every home game.
Every game day, regardless of kickoff time, Roseman and her husband, Cory, leave their house around 4:30 a.m. and arrive outside Lot 31 by 5 to ensure they get a good spot in line and get a tailgate area closest to Grange Grove. Location is a huge priority, as it allows the cheerleaders to spend more time relaxing and eating before resuming their busy schedule.
With roughly four tents, six tables, a giant inflatable named Tiny, and enough food and beverages to accomodate all the cheerleaders and their families, the tailgate serves as a 20-30-minute break and is the only time during the entire day the cheer team is able to fuel up and relax before a long yet rewarding game day.
Between the tailgates and postseason banquet, the cheer parents spend a lot of time together, which has created a family atmosphere within the group. With a shared goal and vision, the Illinois cheer parents play a pivotal role in the team's success.
"Spending all that time together helps us build relationships with each other," Roseman said. "The tailgate allows us the opportunity to grow our relationships; we are all like-minded. We are there to support the team and the team is there to support athletics, the community, and UI at large. It stems from us having good relationships so that the team can have good relationships. Everybody supports each other. We try to be the support system, from the family, to the friends, to the team, to the athletic department, to the whole university. It's just in our blood to support."
After the team finishes at the tailgate, they do not skip a beat and make their way into the stadium to warm up, which includes stretching and any last-minute final stunt practice. The team then rejoins the Marching Illini outside the stadium. Once the Illini football team finishes its pregame warm-ups, the cheer team runs the team out of the tunnel and the game begins.
The parents' support continues during the game. Families try to sit in the stands as close to the team as possible, which gives them the opportunity to not only watch the team, but act as an extension of the cheerleaders in the bleachers.
"They really are the cheerleaders' cheerleaders," said Anthony Hoffman, a freshman on the cheer team. "We can always rely on them to be doing the cheers with us. If we say, 'Stand up,' they will tell people to stand up. It's things like that. The role that they play is the cheerleaders' cheerleaders, and that's always nice."
One of Roseman's favorite annual cheer traditions is on Dads Day, when the dads of cheerleaders on the team get to perform with their sons and daughters on the field. Seeing her daughter not only complete a lifelong dream of cheering at Illinois, but also do so with her dad for a game is one of the highlights of Roseman's year.
"Dads Weekend has been pretty special. The team lights up. As moms, it's such a joy for us to see them get to hang out with their dads," Roseman said. "Every Dads Weekend is special. It just feels very family-oriented. Dads Weekend has become family weekend at the University of Illinois. It becomes a family event. It's pretty spectacular."
As the team gears up for another Dads Day game against Indiana on Saturday, the cheer tailgate will once again be in full swing. While the cheer team provides support for the football program and for fans in and around Memorial Stadium, the cheer parents offer that same level of support to the cheer team.
One big inclusive, happy famILLy, the cheer team and parents both bring the passion and energy every game week, and they will do so once again this weekend.
"Game day would be impossible without the parents," JP Hoffman said. "We don't have a ton of free time to fuel ourselves. The fact that the parent tailgate is there, it's all set up, it's all ready to go, and we're able to maximize that time on game day is huge to eat and refuel ourselves before the long game ahead. Without that, game day would be a lot harder, that's for sure.
"The parents are always cheering the loudest in the crowd. They are always following us around the stadium and giving us someone to cheer to and an extra voice in the crowd. The parents are huge."
