MGCCC to hold cheerleader and mascot tryouts

The 2009-10 Mississippi Gulf Coast Bulldog Cheerleading Squad at the ninth annual C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl in Copperas Cove, Texas on Dec. 5. Cheerleaders and mascot must be able to attend all home football, basketball, and baseball games, be available to travel to away football games and basketball tournaments, and attend many scheduled appearances.

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will hold a cheerleader and mascot workshop and tryouts April 16-18, 2010, at the Weathers/Wentzell Center (gymnasium) on the Perkinston Campus. The pre-tryout workshop will be held Friday, April 16, at 5 p.m., and on Saturday, April 17, at 9 a.m. Closed tryouts will be held Sunday, April 18, beginning at 2 p.m.

The Bulldog Mascot at a 2009 season football game in A.L. May Memorial Stadium on the Perkinston Campus. The mascot (student in a bulldog suit) has been a fixture at games and other school-sponsored events since 1985.

To qualify for tryouts, participants must have a 2.0 college or high-school grade point average. A transcript for verification must also be provided. Attendance at both the pre-tryout workshops and the tryouts is required. Dress in appropriate sports attire (shorts, T-shirts, and tennis shoes). Additionally, participants should have a completed cheerleader/mascot application, a release from liability form, photograph and three recommendations. Cheerleader candidates will be judged on cheerleader skills (motions, dance ability, technique, spirit, and enthusiasm), original chant, overall presentation, attitude, and interview/workshop performance. Mascot candidates must perform an original two- or three-minute skit and will be evaluated on theme, originality, use of props, character/personality, impromptu ability, and overall crowd appeal.

The Gulf Coast cheerleading squad has been a symbol of Bulldog spirit since 1927. The squad is featured at Gulf Coast football and basketballs games as well as other Coast events. The mascot (student in a bulldog suit) has been a fixture at games and other school-sponsored events since 1985. Cheerleaders and mascot must be able to attend all home football, basketball, and baseball games, be available to travel to away football games and basketball tournaments, and attend many scheduled appearances.

The MGCCC Bulldog Cheerleading Squad carries 16 members and one alternate and is open to both men and women. All tryout requirements are the same for both men and women. Cheerleaders and mascot must maintain fulltime status (12 or more hours), a 2.0 GPA while attending MGCCC and must live on campus. Scholarships are offered to members of the Gulf Coast cheerleading squad, including the mascot.

The application deadline is March 29, 2010. For more information and required application forms, go to the Cheerleader link under Athletics at www.mgccc.edu, or contact or Shellie Campbell at 662-312-7719 or Michelle Sekul at 601-928-6267, michelle.sekul@mgccc.edu.