Kayte Kettler is ready to yell like hell.

Kettler, an NIU cheerleader and sociology-criminology major, will join her squad in preparing for this year’s Homecoming festivities, including the annual “Yell Like Hell” event.

Every year, the NIU cheerleaders prepare a Homecoming routine, along with sororities and fraternities, that showcases their cheerleading performances. The routine, which is typically six to eight minutes long, is choreographed by the seniors on the squad.

For Ashley Lough, a senior captain and physical therapy major, “Yell Like Hell” is a time for the cheerleaders to show the student body their performance abilities.

“It’s a lot of work and fun,” Lough said. “We get to show the students what we can really do. It’s our biggest performance at NIU – students don’t ever get to see us at the Nationals Competition in Daytona Beach.”

Kari Robar, a senior captain and nursing major, agreed.

“Homecoming, to the cheerleaders, is a time for us to showcase skills that the student body and the NIU community typically doesn’t get a chance to see as well as be involved and promote school spirit that is heightened during Homecoming week,” Robar said.

Homecoming is also a way for the NIU cheerleaders to catch up with former cheer alumni. During Homecoming, it’s a tradition for the cheer alumni to cheer with the squad on the football field.

“It’s cool to see people we used to cheer with over the last few years,” Lough said.

Although the NIU cheerleaders enjoy Homecoming, it is the squad’s last hurrah before they begin to prepare for its competition season. The squad tapes its Homecoming performance to send to the national competition.

“This is where we put together a tape of our skills to send it in to the National Cheerleaders Association to see if we can get a paid bid to nationals,” Kettler said.

Fundraising and sponsorships are also other issues the cheerleading squad must concentrate on to compete.

“There just simply isn’t enough money to go around,” Lough said. “We were told that the Athletics Department can’t help us because they haven’t received a budget increase in the last 10 years.”

However, the team said the Athletics Department did help it get sponsors, find fundraising ideas and get warm-ups and shirts.

“We do a lot of fundraising for our program to raise money for nationals, uniforms, poms and practice clothes,” Kettler said. “We do a lot of appearances, clinics with other cheer squads like high school and raffle tickets at football games.”