Two national titles drive Boise Spirit Squad recruitment push

Boise State’s Spirit Squad is recruiting aggressively after the Mane Line dance team claimed two national titles in the 2025 season. The squad won first place in both jazz and hip-hop in Division I-A, the highest competitive division at the National Dance Alliance College Dance Championships. This marks the first time the program has secured dual championships in that top tier.

Head coach Erik Lindgren noted the team’s status as two-time national champions has generated substantial interest in the program. The Spirit Squad competes at the Universal Cheerleaders Association College Cheerleading Championships in Orlando and the National Dance Alliance College Dance Championships in Daytona Beach. Since 1993, the unit has accumulated ten collegiate championships.

The team operates year-round, making it one of the few athletic units at Boise State to do so. It comprises 66 students divided into three groups: the cheer squad, the Mane Line dance team, and the gameday mascot, Buster Bronco. Lindgren leads the group as part of the athletic department’s marketing team. Although the Spirit Squad is not an NCAA sport, the department classifies the cheer and dance members as student-athletes.

Athletes on the two main subteams train four days a week. Sessions focus on sideline segments, halftime numbers, and national competition preparation. Lindgren is already assembling the 2027-28 roster. He held the first recruitment clinic on Oct. 4, with another set for Nov. 15. A final clinic is scheduled for Nov. 11.

Prospective members include high school seniors, college transfers, and current Boise State students. At the clinics, cheerleaders perform stunts and tumbling routines. Dancers execute across-the-floor routines where coaches assess technique, flexibility, and jumps. Lindgren stated that coaches emphasize turns most heavily due to the team’s recent success in jazz competitions.

Recruitment often begins before high school graduation. Boise State freshman Aurelia Vasquez attended a Mane Line clinic and said she has been preparing for years. She reported dancing for hours daily since her junior year of high school. Many candidates do not make the team on their first attempt. Mane Line dance captain Manhattan Tibbott encouraged those who are cut to continue training and try out again.

Current members help bridge the gap between prospective athletes and coaches. Tibbott said the team handles outreach, social media posts, and direct communication with girls interested in tryouts. She described the process as intimidating for many candidates who are unsure how to contact the coaching staff. Members who miss the cut often train with the squad to prepare for the following year.

Lindgren described the unit as a true spirit squad where cheerleaders and dancers work together on the sideline. Cheerleaders use blue poms, while dancers use orange poms. The motto for the program is Protect the Program. Lindgren told members they represent something larger than themselves whether they are in practice, in class, or at the grocery store.