The student section is screaming, the band is playing, the cheerleaders are cheering, the football team is celebrating, and the JROTC spirit team is running across the field with huge flags. The crowd goes wild! 

The JROTC has a spirit team that aims to bring the hype and spirit to all of Raider Nation. 

“Spirit team is a group of AFJROTC cadets that cheer on the football team and encourage students to get loud/involved at football games and pep rallies,” senior Cadet Colonel Jacob Cline said. “The name implies who we are.” 

They have many responsibilities, including blowing up the big Raider tunnel that the football players run through and running the flags when the team scores. 

“We run the flags when the players first run out onto the field out of the Raider tunnel and whenever we score,” Cline said. “Touchdown or field goal, doesn’t matter. We’ll run them any time we score.” 

Colonel Wilbanks is the founder of the spirit team. He started it because high school is about getting involved and he wanted to create a way for the AFJROTC to get more involved in events like football games and pep rallies. The school needed people to be in charge of the inflatables and they wanted to travel more. 

“By far my favorite part of Spirit Team has to be getting up the Raider inflatable and watching my team succeed.” spirit team commander Hanah Robertson said. “It is an intense and difficult task, and when done correctly, you feel a sense of relief.” 

The Spirit team consists of a group of returning JROTC cadets along with a few new members each week. 

“My favorite part of the Spirit Team is the comradery and relationships that are formed throughout them,” Cline said. “Spirit Team is where friendships begin in ROTC, they require you to work as a team and then rally together to cheer on our football team. So many great memories throughout the year.”

The JROTC dedicates a lot of time and work to their program, and they rely on each other for success. 

“The most difficult part of spirit team is inflating and standing the inflatable raider skull and tunnel,” Cline said. “There are so many moving parts and it takes the effort of each individual member to get the job done. It can also be quite dangerous, so everyone has to be alert and do their best.” 

Before the first football game of the year, they get the inflatables out and blow them up and practice raising them. 

“We do practice occasionally,” Cline said. “However, most learning is done at the games themselves. The new members learn from the senior members and will eventually get to the point where they will lead and teach others,” 

Because of the bond that the team has along with their dedication to their jobs, they make lots of memories. 

“The most memorable moment I’ve had as a part of the Spirit Team is pretty recent,” Cline said. “It’s my senior year homecoming game where we rallied up and pulled ahead against Irving Nimitz. I’ve never seen that level of excitement from the football team, fans, and especially the Spirit Team. We were jumping up and down and screaming like little girls.” 

People are selected and changed every couple of weeks to be on the team for each football game. 

“In JROTC, we have a system of sign-up sheets,” Robertson said. “Two weeks before every game, I will put up a sign-up sheet. The week before the game, I will choose people to be on the team. We then put it on a whiteboard in one of our classrooms.” 

They have new and fun things to look forward to every week from their commander.