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OU's Energetic Cheerleading Party - Bouncing Back from a Member Shortage into a New Era

OU's Energetic Cheerleading Party - Bouncing Back from a Member Shortage into a New Era

The Osaka University Cheerleading Party consists of the Leader, Ensemble, and Cheerleading Divisions. While the Cheerleading Party exists to liven up university events and club activities, there are currently only 4 members in the club. The members of the Cheerleading Party spoke about moving forward and continuing to cheer despite the difficulties facing the survival of the club.

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In 2009, Osaka University NewsLetter covered the first female leader of the Osaka University Cheerleading Party, Maki IWAI, the team’s 47th leader. At the time, there were 27 members. But there was a reason for the decrease to the number of members today. According to Hiroto MITSUYOSHI, who was a first year student at the time, “We refrained from performing after the East Japan Earthquake in 2011. As a result, only one new member joined the club the next year.”

For cheerleading clubs, it’s difficult to recover members if the numbers take a dip. “As opposed to other clubs, we have to perform at events like entrance ceremonies and invite anyone interested right then and there.” Assistant Leader Chiharu NISHIURA lamented, “We perform in small numbers, so my friends often say things like, ‘I have no idea what you’re doing.’” But this decrease in numbers is not an issue facing only OU. Cheerleading clubs at other public and national universities are also struggling to stay afloat.

But even though their numbers are small, they lead rich student lives as members of the club. Leader Rina ISHII, part of the cheerleading division, said, “The appeal of the Cheerleading Party is giving others energy through our cheers.” She continued, “The ensemble handles the music, and the cheerleaders show the crowd their stunts and smiles. Each of the three divisions uses their unique qualities to give energy to activities at the university.

Ms. Nishiura, member of the ensemble division, smiled and said, “The appeal of the club is that I can give my all to something. When the team you’re supporting loses, it’s really disappointing. Being able to experience these ups and downs is part of the charm of the club.”

Bonds between generations are strong in the Cheerleading Party. Even alumni in their 50s and 60s come for welcome and farewell parties. At this year’s entrance ceremony, alumni cooperated with the club to secure about 10 club members. Ms. Nishiura said, “When speaking with our elders, it allows us to obtain the manners that will serve us when we enter society.”

Ms. Ishii wants to try more varied cheering styles to suit the groups that are being cheered for. “I want to expand our activity by cheering at cultural events, for example.”

Even now, Mr. Mitsuyoshi continues to cheer. He learned of another type of cheering after he left the club. “The motto of the cheering club is to ‘just smile and have fun.’ I was able to experience this quality of cheering. When you compare this to other university cheering teams, I think other teams are a bit too rigid.”

Currently, the pre-event for the school festival at Kyoto University is run by their cheering team. The Osaka University Cheerleading Party drives forward with the urge to do something unique to liven up OU. “We want to work with the university on projects and proposals to increase OU’s fan base,” said the three members. The team is sure to gather attention in an era of change for cheerleading teams.

• Rina ISHII - The 54th Leader of the Cheerleading Party and member of the Cheerleading Division, Ms. Ishii was inspired to join the club after a performance at her entrance ceremony at Osaka-Jo Hall.

• Chiharu NISHIURA - Assistant Leader of the Cheerleading Party and member of the ensemble division, Ms. Nishiura entered the club after seeing a promotional video on the web made by alumni of the Cheerleading Party aimed at university entrance examinees.

• Hiroto MITSUYOSHI - The 50th Leader of the Cheerleading Party, Mr. Mitsuyoshi is also currently active in private cheerleading clubs in the Suita Campus area.

Note: This is a reprint of the article posted in the Osaka University NewsLetter No. 64 (Summer 2014).

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