Gopher hockey cheer team is drawing skaters from out of state

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Between the puck drops and the sounds of the buzzer, each home Gopher men’s hockey game is also a flurry of quick changes skates being laced and unlaced and undeniable athletic talent.

"Something funny we get asked is, ‘are you the same girls on the ice?’" says Torre Trazzera, a Gopher Hockey Cheer Team member from Texas.

The Gopher Hockey Cheer Team dazzle the crowd on the ice during period breaks, and run stairs, switch to sneakers to and from the stands during game time.

"We come into our first practice not knowing anything. Competitive figure skating it’s so graceful, it’s so beautiful, then you come to cheerleading and it’s sharp. It's the complete opposite," says Trazzera. "It’s a whole 180 switch."

History of cheerleading 

The backstory:

Many may not realize it, but cheerleading was born at the University of Minnesota. In the fall of 1898, a male student offered to lead organized cheers at football games. 

Through the years, sometime in the 60s or 70s, hockey cheer came to be. Under the same Spirit Squad as traditional cheerleaders, the Goldy mascot, and the U of M dance team, hockey cheer has many perks. Occasional travel with the hockey team, particularly for playoffs, excitement being part of the crowd. While scholarships are not offered, they are considered NCAA Division I athletes.

"We are one of very few schools, only one in the Big Ten, and being the state of hockey too, I think that’s really special," says coach Niki Peterson. "Hockey is so huge at the University of Minnesota."

Where do the cheerleaders come from? 

By the numbers:

Peterson recalls being on the team prior to coaching it. She says pre-pandemic team members mainly came from Minnesota and the Midwest, but when the tryouts switched to submitting videos, plus a stronger social media presence, the pool of applicants started coming from across the country. 

This year is the most wide-ranging group of skaters yet. Out of 12 spots on the team:

• Four are from Minnesota
• Three are from Texas
• Two are from Illinois
• One is from Kansas
• One is from North Carolina
• One is from Missouri

"College hockey isn’t even a thing in Texas," says Trazzera "So to have this level of college hockey and to add those figure skaters, it’s crazy, it’s very different from down there."

Growth in the sport

Big picture view:

These days, more hockey programs and figure skaters are taking notice. A few high school hockey cheer programs have been inspired by the U of M, including Edina launching a program this year. Plus, Peterson dreams of someday forming a team for the Minnesota Wild.

"Talking to different programs across the country  is really cool, and it’s getting bigger too," says Peterson.

In the meantime, for these former competitive skaters, dancers, or sisters of hockey players turned hockey cheer teammates, nothing beats being role models for other little girls in the stands. For the Gopher Hockey Cheer Team, the competition is focused on the games they cheer for, while taking part is purely for the chance to continue enjoying center ice.

"I feel like hockey cheer is even more special in that way because we don’t have anything to compete for," says Bre Kressin of Minnesota. "We are just doing this all for our love of figure skating and this team, and the uniqueness of hockey cheer."