Stunt studs pump up BHS cheer

The Bigfork High School cheerleading squad's performances are about to get a lot more powerful with the addition of four "stunt studs."

BHS junior Kenny Patrick and sophomores Jerry Rose, Kris Gimbel and Andrew Woolery will assist the girls with stunting during the basketball season. Patrick, Rose and Gimbel are returning to the squad for the second year.

"It totally changes how we cheer," said BHS cheerleading coach Heather Epperly. "Everything is much more physical. We use a lot more strength. It takes away from the fluff and highlights a different side of cheerleading. Stunts require much more technique, timing and strength than most people know."

Bobby McDonald, who graduated two years ago, was the first boy to stunt for Epperly. He moved to Bigfork from Frenchtown his junior year, where he had been part of the cheerleading squad. He asked Epperly if he could join the BHS squad to help them stunt, and she agreed.

While attending a basketball game last year, some of McDonald's old squad-mates told him that they wish they still had some boys on the squad for stunting. McDonald told Patrick about this and convinced him to check out one of the squad's practices. After going a few times, he was hooked.

"It was fun, so I kept doing it," Patrick said.

Patrick weight lifts with his friends at the school, including Rose, Gimbel and Andrew Erickson, who decided not to return to the squad this year. Patrick often left early to go to cheerleading practice, and the other boys soon got curious about what he was up to, so they decided to go watch Patrick at cheerleading practice.

"They had posted 'We want you' old-fashioned enlistment signs around the school," Rose said. "I thought it would be interesting, but I couldn't bring myself to be man enough to try it. Then I saw Kenny doing it and decided to join."

Woolery joined this season after hearing that his friends were enjoying stunting with the squad.

"I figured that I'm lifting heavy weights anyway, so I might as well lift something else," Woolery said.

The boys weren't part of the fall squad because they played on the BHS football team. Stunting is their off-season sport between football and track.

"It's fun, but it's challenging too," Rose said. "It's a lot harder than people think it is."

Although it would've been nice to have the boys' strength for stunting during the fall, Epperly is glad the boys participate in other sports.

"The boys are committed to weightlifting and other sports so they understand what it means to be dedicated to a team," she said. "The stunts give them an adrenaline rush. Both the boys and the fliers get a rush from having a stunt that they've worked hard on be completed."

The boys sit out while the girls do side-line cheers, crowd cheers and dance routines, but when it's time for floor cheers and half time routines the boys are on.

"We are very blessed at Bigfork to have boy cheerleaders," said junior cheerleader Kayla Carlson. "They really help us move above and beyond. They are a great asset to our team and help the crowd get more involved."

The boys not only have to know how to perform the stunts, but also have to know the counts of each performance so each stunt fits into the routine at the proper time.

"With the boys' strength and focus I have a lot more faith in us having successful stunts," Epperly said. "The boys are very committed to each stunt. I had one boy say last year that he would die before he would let one of the girls fall. Our stunts are bigger and safer because of them."

The boys said that the stunts that are the most challenging are partner stunts, where there is just one boy and one girl.

"You have to have good timing when it's just the two of you," Rose said. "Both of you have to know what's going on without talking."

Gimbel, who also tumbles during the games, agreed, adding, "You need to have good technique to do partner stunts. It's not all strength."

Despite all the hard work, being a "stunt stud" has its perks.

"It's fun once you start getting into it," Gimbel said. "You get to hang out with your friends and travel with the basketball team."

The boys said that the biggest perk is just having an excuse to hang out together.

"It's definitely more fun of a sport than most people think," Rose said. "People think that it's a girlie sport and that only preppy guys do it. But it's a lot more physically demanding than you'd think. We get hurt and have to keep going just like any other sport."

Epperly said that she is impressed by the boys' hard work and dedication.

"They take it extremely seriously," she said. "More than I ever thought they would. That is what is so impressive about this group of guys. The day after football was over they were at practice asking to stunt.

"They're committed to the girls and the stunts. They take the stunting very seriously. They aren't there to find a date. They love the challenge of stunting."