Eric Nuzum's Cheerleader Camp

Eric Nuzum's
Cheerleader Camp

First, a bit of info on the recordings. I knew when I started writing this that I'd need audio of the cheering. I tried recording it at the building so it would sound the way I hear it everyday--but the recording turned out awful. Almost any environmental noise (traffic, lawn mowers, etc...) overwhelmed the thin sound of the cheerleaders. So, as the morning wore on, I'd work my way closer and closer to them in hopes of picking up some better sound. I felt like some kind of pervert, lurking behind trees and off in the distance with some sort of strange equipment - like I was recording video to post to cheerleadervoyeur.com or something.

Finally, I realized that I wasn't going to capture anything worth having unless I asked them if I could record close up. I would have much rather "found" the sound, but the quality of what I got justifies the intrusion. During a break I approached the teachers and explained--as best I could--what I wanted to do. They were really enthusiastic and called the girls in. There were 125 girls in the camp, all lined up in a semi-circle around me and my stereo microphone. They held nothing back--smiles, gestures, loud voices, everything.

I've captured sound in some awesome situations before, but I was, frankly, overwhelmed by these girls. They were 100% into sharing what they did without a single shread of irony, sarcasm, or reservation. They were there to cheer, damnit. And cheer they did. I just pressed the buttons and let it happen. It was pretty awesome to watch.

Go Eric! - This is my favorite piece of audio ever. This is the beginning of the teacher explaining to the students that someone was going to tape them--and it shows how the cheerleaders are programmed to react to introductions.

Let's Start! - Before the cheerleaders offered their cheers for me, the leader calls them to attention--which is what this sound sample represents. Since January I've had this as the start-up sound on my computer every day.