The Marshall University Thundering Herd’s Cheerleading team is having tryouts in the upcoming month.

Coach Jake Gilliam said he can not wait to bring new skill and talented athletes into Marshall’s cheer program.

“I can’t wait to prepare them for the season and put my own little fingerprints on pregame and what we do on the sidelines because things were kind of already established when I got here two games in,” Gilliam said. “I look to kind of get my own impression on them.”

Gilliam said it is also important he does not lose his core veteran group of ladies and gentlemen.

Freshman cheerleader Raekwon Timmons said cheering for the Herd is an awesome experience because of the winning football team and Marshall fan base.

“It’s like living your childhood dreams that you didn’t know could come true,” Timmons said. “Cheering for the herd is an absolutely amazing experience, especially for a team that has now won two bowl games and are the conference champs. The fan base makes it easy to get excited because they are so full of Marshall pride.” Gilliam said.

Gilliam said tryouts are early because they want to be prepared for the upcoming football season.

“The anticipation for football is going to be just as high,” Gilliam said. “We’re going to have an awesome football season hopefully, go undefeated and make that access bowl. We want to be prepared, we want to put the time in and the work in at the beginning of the year.”

Gilliam said he believes in the cheer program and what they bring to the fans and athletes.

“My personal philosophy is that we’re the buffer between what’s going on, on the field or on the court and the fans,” Gilliam said. “So we are able to be on the court, be in the action, be on the field, be in the action, but then we’re also up in the stands.”

Gilliam said the athletic coaches also believe in the program at Marshall.

“If you hear Coach Dan D’antoni talk, he’s really focused on getting our student section bigger and enhancing that and how much of an impact the sixth man is in all this,” Gilliam said. “I think that’s our responsibility, that’s how we can impact the game.”

Gilliam said he tells the cheerleaders not to underestimate the impact they make during the games.

“I tell them that you can’t underestimate what yelling for someone on the field or on the court how that impacts them,” Gilliam said. “When someone is yelling your name it makes you want to try harder. I think it’s the overall pageantry of college sports. It’s a big show, it’s a big production, we have to be a part of that and we have to make our self legitimate so that way we feel like were a part of it and were making that impact.”

Mercedez Speight can be contacted at [email protected].