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Crowds cheer and jeer Damon’s visit
AN EDITION OF THE IDAHO PRESS-TRIBUNE // MYMERIDIANPRESS.COM // 07.22.16
‘THE TOUGHEST SPORT OUT THERE’ Ben Buckels goes from football player to Boise State cheerleader
Otto Kitsinger/For the MP
Former Cole Valley Christian football player Ben Buckels has tried his hand — and excelled — at a new sport: cheerleading. The incoming Boise State University freshman is one of just five males on the cheer squad.
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his time last year Ben Buckels was participating in summer drills for the Cole Valley Christian football team. While he is still partaking in drills this summer, they are of a dissimilar variety, and for a different sport entirely. One that many, including himself, wouldn’t have ever expected — cheerleading. “I never thought to get involved,” Buckels said. “I never had any friends on the cheer team. All my friends were on the baseball and football teams.” by Brandon Walton
bwalton@idahopress.com © 2016 MERIDIAN PRESS
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After graduating in May, Buckels was contemplating what he should do next. He knew he was going to attend Boise State University, a school he had fallen in love with since he moved from Glendale, California, five years ago, but he didn’t know what he was going to do there. Buckels wanted to be more than just a student. He wanted to be involved in an activity to fully ingrain himself at Boise State. And with football out of the question, because, by his own admission, he wasn’t good enough to play for the Broncos, he needed something else. While sitting down and discussing his options with his parents, the idea of him going out for the cheerleading team came to light. “It was a suggestion my mom made,” Buckels said. “I had always been really involved in pep rallies in high school and stuff. My friends and I would put on funny costumes to get the crowd going. We went to all the games and would start the chants and stuff. My mom told me I was pretty good at that and that I should try that.” With the decision made, Buckels sent an email to Tobruk Blaine, the coach and program director for the Boise State spirit squad, to see what it took to become a member of the team. Blaine informed him of two voluntary camps for prospective members to
Buckels
attend before the actual tryouts themselves. Having never done cheerleading a day in his life and not knowing what a simple back tuck was, Buckels attended both camps, which turned out to be an interesting experience. “They would call me over and tell me to do such and such, and because I didn’t know any of the terms or anything, I would be like, I don’t know what that is,” Buckels laughed. “They would have to show me what to do and I would do it.” Now armed with an idea of what he needed to do to make the team, Buckels attended the tryouts, which took place April 29 through May 1. As each day passed, to his surprise, Buckels’ name kept making the list of people who were invited back the next day, until the final day, when he learned after three grueling days of tryouts that his goal had actually come true. “I was shocked,” Buckels said. “I couldn’t believe starting this a month and a half ago that I made the team. I was super relieved too.” With the news he had made the team, Buckels went about telling all his family and friends of his achievement.
Please see Buckels, page 12
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