Hampton's Blue Thunder cheerleading squad turns to online tryouts
Fred Jeter | 5/7/2020, 6 p.m.
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting every aspect of athletics, even cheerleading.
Hampton University has conducted a virtual tryout for its Blue Thunder spirit squad.
Normally, tryouts are held prior to the end of the spring semester. That was not feasible this year because students were sent home in March because of COVID-19. In what has become the “new normal,” HU cheerleader candidates submitted a video of their skills online by the May 6 deadline. Those skills: Tumbling, stunting, jumps, voice projection, etc.
From those submissions, a “provisional” team will be selected by school officials. The final squad will be determined from an on-campus camp scheduled for the last week of July, assuming the state’s “stay-at-home” regulations are lifted.
Spring sports at HU and all other schools were canceled in March to curb the spread of the pandemic.
HU, now in its second season as a member of the Big South Conference, will open its football season Sept. 5 at home against Virginia Union University.
