Spirit

School spirit is no laughing matter for University of Delaware administrators. Well, it is and it isn't. It isn't because, through the last decade, UD has gained a positive national profile, in part through the efforts of its colorful and energetic spirit ambassadors. And, it is because, with mascot hatchlings YoUDee and Baby Blue on the scene, it is impossible not to have a sense of humor about the renewed sense of spirit on campus.

Standing 6 feet 8 inches tall, the blue-plumed, yellow-beaked YoUDee has been the official mascot of the Fightin' Blue Hens since 1993. Its likeness appears on clothing, stationery, mugs, flags, pennants--in short, on all sorts of promotional items.

The mascot program, which has been the recipient of numerous national awards, owes a special debt to secret weapon David Raymond, HNS '79, who was the first person to give life to the Phillie Phanatic. Raymond works with the student YoUDees, who are selected based on rigorous and highly competitive tryouts. UD students have gone on to become professional mascots with the Houston Rockets, Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens.

YoUDee was created by Real Characters Inc. of Atlanta, and Tom Sapp, the firm's chairman and creative director, was in charge of the costume design. YoUDee has a sibling, Baby Blue, also designed by Real Characters, who hatched before a sold-out crowd at the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center in 1999.

The UD spirit machine is multifaceted. In addition to the mascots, it includes the highly visible cheerleaders, dance team and Marching Band. All underwent major transformations during the decade.

The UD Cheerleading Team is coached by Joe Mackley, who joined the squad as a cheerleader himself in 1992-93 and has seen key changes firsthand. Foremost among those was the hiring of a full-time coach, Leanne Higgins, in 1992. "That stabilized the program," Mackley says.

With a full-time coach came structure through the institution of rules and procedures, and, with structure, the program moved to "a much higher level," Mackley says.

By 1994-95, the cheerleading team was offering a dozen $1,000 scholarships. Today, the number of scholarships has remained the same but the amount of each scholarship has climbed to $3,500. That has enabled the program to seek out the best athletes in the region.

The cheerleaders first entered a national competition in 1995, finishing 12th. "That was not where we wanted to be," says Mackley, and, in the years since, the team continued to improve.

"We are known as one of the top programs in the country," Mackley says, and the team proved that by winning the national championship at the Universal Cheerleading Association competition held in January 2001 in Orlando, Fla. The UD cheerleaders toppled Morehead State University of Kentucky, which had won 10 consecutive titles.

The cheerleaders work 10 months out of the year, with spring practice and summer camp. They work the sidelines with a highly athletic style at all home and away football and men's and women's basketball games.

The cheerleaders also attend more than 300 public relations events each year. Last fall, team members appeared at a "Cool to be in School" pep rally for elementary school students and served as mentors at an elementary school in Newark.

"We believe we are ambassadors for the University," Mackley says.

The UD Precision Dance Team underwent a transformation in the 1990s as well, generating an enthusiastic following at basketball games with its high-energy performances.

The team was a collection of students without a coach until Higgins brought them under the wing of the spirit program. Here again, with coach Anne Marie Parisi now directing the squad, structure has meant results.

The UD dance team took first place in both home routine and fight song and earned a superior rating trophy, as well as the "Most Collegiate" award, during a summer competition sponsored by the Universal Dance Association.

Long a part of the UD spirit tradition has been the Pride of Delaware-UD's Marching Band, which now features more than 300 members who spend countless hours on a field near the Amy E. du Pont Music Building perfecting their halftime shows.

Heidi I. Sarver took the reins as director of the UD Marching Band in 1995. She has brought a strong work ethic to the unit, which practices six hours per week during the fall semester and has preseason practice sessions.

Sarver is only the fifth Marching Band director at the University. Her predecessors were J. Robert King, David P. Blackinton, Robert J. Streckfuss and Alan D. Hamant.