Kirkwood Cheerleading
At Kirkwood, we are proud of our co-ed cheerleading team who you will find cheering for our nationally-known Eagle athletes throughout the course of the year. Our diverse and talented team consists of athletes from as close to home as Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to as far away as California. Cheerleaders from across the country aspire to be an Eagle cheerleader to not only cheer for national champion teams but to be a part of a close-knit Eagle family that they are bonded to for years to come.
With a strong alumni group who return to Kirkwood regularly to perform, volunteer their help, and attend open gyms, our program is able to consistently exhibit and compete annually at events such as area Dance Marathon events, local cheerleading competitions, the Iowa State High School Cheerleading Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, Competitions in Minneapolis Minnesota, and all the way to Cheer LTD Nationals in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It is also not surprising to see our team out in the community and volunteering at many different events, including the ALS Walk in Cedar Rapids, reading to children in school on America Reads Day, and helping with the Special Olympics of Iowa's Regional competitions, just to name a few.
Back home in Johnson Hall, we regularly hold open gyms for aspiring, current, and alumni cheerleaders to allow others to practice their skills in a safe, controlled environment at no out-of-pocket cost to attendees. We are proud to have helped local high school cheerleaders and coaches grow in their skills and programs with our support.
Our year begins each Spring with tryouts for the upcoming school year traditionally taking place on the last weekend of April in Johnson Hall on the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, campus. Interested candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their cheer, dance, jumps, tumbling, and stunting skills. A chant and a dance to be demonstrated during the final tryouts are taught at each tryout. Cheerleaders with college-level jumps, tumbling skills at a strong round-off and above, as well as solid stunting skills at liberty and above will score highly at tryouts. Because expectations of Eagle cheerleaders are high, we have also incorporated interviews into our tryout process.
Cheerleading Coach: Sarah Trinkle
Sarah is in her third year coaching the Eagles and she is excited to see the continued growth of the program. Sarah graduated from Kirkwood with a Liberal Arts AS degree as well as Interior Design AAS degree. While completing her degrees, she cheered for the Eagles from 2009-2012. Since then she has continued to be very involved in the program until she began coaching in August of 2017. Sarah has seven years of competitive cheerleading under her belt and has competed in multiple national competitions. She recently finished her sixth season on the Cedar Rapids Titan Dolls Dance Team. If you are interested in Kirkwood Cheer, feel free to contact Sarah directly at cheerleading@kirkwood.edu.
Cheerleading Assistant Coach: Bailey Bacon
Bailey cheered and graduated from Jefferson High School in 2010. She then went on to cheer at Kirkwood as an Eagle from 2011-2014. Bailey began coaching cheerleading at Twisters All-Stars and coached there for two years. She transferred to Upper Iowa University and graduated with a degree in Business Administration. Bailey is in her third season as Assistant Coach and has enjoyed getting to know the athletes and helping them reach personal as well as team goals. Her passion for Kirkwood Cheerleading keeps the team inspired and always striving to be their best.
Cheerleading Assistant Coach: Brook Dietz
CHEERLEADING TRYOUT INFORMATION
Recruit clinic: TBD - 10:00am - 2:00pm - Johnson Hall (not required to attend tryouts) - Cost: $10
Tryouts: TBD - Johnson Hall (no fee to tryout)
Attire:
- Cheer shoes or clean tennis shoes
- PLAIN black t-shirt, tank top, or sports bra
- Athletic shorts
- Hair pulled out of the face
- Bows are welcome
Email Coach Sarah Trinkle at cheerleading@kirkwood.edu if you have any questions or are interested in trying out.