Bringing new spirit to Augustana Hockey

Eight Augustana students are taking the ice this season as part of the university’s first hockey cheer team.

The Hockey Cheer Club, which debuted this fall, is Augustana’s first collegiate hockey cheer program and aims to build excitement around games at Midco Arena.

The cheerleaders perform at center ice as players are introduced. After the national anthem, they join the student section to lead the school song and chants alongside the band. Once a month, the team performs a synchronized skating program during the first two-and-a-half minutes of an intermission before the Zamboni resurfaces the ice.

Riley Block, head club hockey cheer and figure skating coach, originally proposed the idea for a hockey cheer team to Augustana’s athletic department. After discussions with the enrollment team and campus facilities manager Jon Martin, the athletic department agreed that hockey was developed enough  to support another way for fans to engage with the sport.

“We’ve spent a lot of time establishing hockey in Sioux Falls, and now we’re at the point that we can kind of add layers to it,” Emily Staedy, director of marketing and fan experience, said. “I think the main goal is just to build a strong foundation with it.”

Seven of the eight members of the Hockey Cheer Club also participate on Augustana’s club figure skating team, giving them experience performing on the ice.

“It’s getting really great athletic figure skaters to know cheerleading, and it’s different and harder than it looks,” team captain and senior Nicole Zimiga said.

Zimiga also noted that only two members have previous cheerleading experience, so the team has had to learn how to incorporate cheers.

Block, who comes from a hockey family, has helped members learn more about the sport so they can better connect with fans. Zimiga’s roommate – who also has hockey experience – even created a Quizlet to help the team learn more about the game.

The team practices four mornings a week, both on and off the ice, for about 45 minutes. Practices include working on player introductions and the synchronized skating program, which requires members to coordinate their movements, spins and lifts.

Each member also pays an annual fee of about $800 to cover coaching, ice time, uniforms and equipment.

The club also has to balance its responsibilities with those of Augustana’s existing Spirit Squad. Unlike the Spirit Squad, which operates between a club and an athletic program, hockey cheer is not an official athletics program. For now, the hockey cheer and figure skating teams share funding and coaching.

“Next year I think it would be separate, but we don’t know yet,” Zimiga said. “It’s one of those things where we have to see how the season starts first.”

Senior hockey captain Hunter Bischoff said that hockey cheer has been a great addition to game days.

“It’s exciting because, you know, both of us [the hockey team and the hockey cheer team] have the same goal of just building the community of hockey and the excitement of the sport in the Sioux Falls community,” Bischoff said. “We want to have a presence where people want to be in the building, and I think that’s something that this new addition might bring.”

Getting the program off the ground required some logistical adjustments. Because locker rooms used by club teams are reserved for the visiting hockey teams, cheerleaders prepare in the strength and conditioning locker room. Additional mat padding was installed along the route from the room to the ice to protect their skates.

Staedy said the location allows the team to move between its preparation space and the rink.

Zimiga hopes the club will continue to grow and create more opportunities for community members to get involved. For now, she said the focus is on having fun, bringing energy and helping fans feel more connected to the game.

Bischoff said he has been impressed by the team’s commitment to the new program.

“Obviously they work hard; they’re on the ice all the time, so it’s good to see them showcasing what they’re working on,” Bischoff said. “I just feel like that’s the building of a foundational program.”