Tournament performers balance academics and travel
Members miss school for San Antonio
Pep band members and the KU Spirit Squad find that traveling with the basketball team throughout the NCAA Tournament is challenging.
By Luke Morris (Contact)
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
The basketball team isn’t the only group struggling to juggle NCAA tournament trips and academics this postseason. Members of the Spirit Squad and men’s basketball pep band also balance the two at tournament time.
“The hardest part is scheduling and keeping track of where I need to be,” said senior cheer squad member Maxx Krueger. “Staying organized and keeping up on communication is the hardest.”
Krueger will have an exam proctored for one of his classes while he is in San Antonio for the Final Four. He said that during his time with the cheer squad, he learned that balancing cheerleading and academics required getting class work done ahead of time.
Krueger said the Spirit Squad typically flew to tournament sites the day before Kansas’ first game, but the squad left for San Antonio this morning to attend pep rallies. After this week, squad members will miss their fourth school day. They will miss a fifth if Kansas advances to the championship game.
Band members face the same challenges of balancing school and the NCAA tournament. The pep band usually leaves on a bus the day before Kansas’ first game of the weekend, but members will travel today and miss their fourth school day.
Freshman band member Shelton Heilman said he used the time on the bus to study for classes.
“The bus is the best place,” Heilman said. “I say I’ll do it in the hotel, but that never happens.”
Photo by Mindy Ricketts
Members of the University of Kansas pep band wave and chant "see ya" after UNLV forward Joe Darger fouled out of the game in the second half. UNLV guard Rene Rougeau and junior guard Brandon Rush also had to leave the game after committing five personal fouls.
Heilman and Krueger agree that keeping teachers informed about their activities is vital to staying afloat in classes.
“Usually they’re understanding and they’ll help you out,” Krueger said. “They’ll tell you to just turn in your assignments when you get back.”
Heilman said that some teachers were more than happy to accommodate for band members’ busy schedules.
“They’re all usually really supportive,” Heilman said. “My English teacher is really excited for me because I have this opportunity.”
Krueger said the biggest struggle for some Spirit Squad members is scheduling study time during the trips.
“Tournament time is just one more thing to add to our busy schedule, and you can lose track easily of your studies,” Krueger said. “If you don’t make plans to study, it can hurt your grades.”
Krueger said members with upcoming tests or papers would do their work either on the plane or in the hotel.
Associate Athletics Director Jim Marchiony said the academic support staff that travels with the basketball team was also available for the Spirit Squad at tournament sites. He also said Spirit Squad members were not obligated to attend tournament games if they needed time off for classes.
— Edited by Katherine Loeck
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