UCLA Spirit Squad: Audition Requirements and Program Overview
The UCLA Spirit Squad, a celebrated group of student-athletes, embodies the spirit and tradition of the university. As ambassadors for UCLA, they perform at athletic events, campus gatherings, alumni functions, and community outreach programs. Comprising the Cheer Squad, Dance Team, and Mascots (Joe and Josie Bruin), the Spirit Squad demands a significant commitment of time and energy from its members.
Spirit Squad Overview
The UCLA Spirit Squad consists of 50 student-athletes who dedicate over 20 hours each week to practices, workouts, and performances. Despite this substantial commitment, squad members are not compensated financially. The Spirit Squad operates year-round, supporting various athletic teams and events.
Squad Benefits
Members of the UCLA Spirit Squad receive a variety of benefits, including:
- Nike Sponsorship: Squad members are outfitted with Nike apparel, including warm-ups, workout gear, shoes, duffel bags, and backpacks.
- Strength Training: Access to strength training programs designed to prepare the body for the physical demands of the year.
- Travel Opportunities: Travel to away B1G football games, Bowl games, and post-season men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
- Career Preparation: Participation in programming designed to prepare members for future career opportunities in areas such as marketing, nutrition, media relations, resume development, and public speaking.
- Complimentary Tickets: Free tickets to home football, basketball, and Olympic sports events.
- Prime Seating: Front row seats at all UCLA athletic events where the squad performs, including the Rose Bowl and Pauley Pavilion.
- Performing in front of large crowds: Demonstrating support for Bruin spirit.
Audition Information
General Information
Auditions are held annually to select members for the upcoming season. Key details regarding the audition process include:
- Eligibility: All full-time undergraduate and graduate UCLA students are welcome to audition.
- GPA Requirement: Applicants must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or above.
- Disciplinary Status: Applicants must not be on disciplinary probation.
- Physical Fitness: Candidates must possess sufficient physical fitness, strength, and athletic skills to perform the required activities.
- Insurance: Candidates must have health/hospitalization insurance comparable to the minimum coverage offered through the university's student insurance program.
- Returning Members: Potential returning members must audition each year and are not guaranteed a spot on the team.
- Open to the Public? Auditions are closed to the general public.
- Multiple Squads: If more than one squad interests you, you are welcome to audition for multiple teams. You will be encouraged to attend all of the clinics leading up to auditions.
- Height and Weight: No, we do not maintain a height and weight requirement. We do require that all potential members maintain the appropriate physique in order to participate in the required activity.
- Physical Examination: No, you do not need to have a physical completed for the audition process. Should you be chosen for the squad, you will be required to have a physical completed by late July.
Video Auditions
Video auditions are accepted for applicants unable to attend in-person auditions.
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Preparatory Clinics
UCLA Spirit Squad offers preparatory audition clinics. These clinics provide candidates with the opportunity to practice stunting and tumbling (for Cheer Squad) and learn choreography.
- 2026 Prep Clinics: January 25, 2026, and April 12, 2026, at the John Wooden Center.
Audition Application
Auditions for the 2026-27 UCLA Spirit Squad will take place on May 17, 2026. Squad choreography is available on our YouTube channel for those who want to practice in advance of the Audition process.
Squad-Specific Audition Details
Cheer Squad
The UCLA Cheer Squad's primary objective is to support UCLA Athletics, especially football and basketball, and to promote school spirit. The squad performs at home and away games, campus and community events, and collaborates with the Dance Team, Mascots, and Bruin Marching Band.
Composition and Techniques:
The squad typically consists of 20 members, both male and female.
Performances include collegiate-level stunts (coed/partner and all-girl/group), pyramids, baskets, and tumbling.
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The following skills are highly recommended:
- Males: Standing back tuck, toss chair, and toss hands with a pop-off dismount.
- Female Tops: Standing back tuck, running pass to tuck, layout, or full; ability to fly collegiate-level stunts.
- Female Bases: Standing back tuck, running pass to tuck, layout, or full; ability to base collegiate-level stunts.
Returning members must audition each year and are not guaranteed a spot on the team for the upcoming season.
Time Commitments:
- Spring and Summer: Practices are held two to three nights per week throughout spring quarter, focusing on partner stunting, tumbling, and material for upcoming events. The squad has July off. The full squad is required to attend Skills Training Camp in August.
- Rehearsals: Once classes begin in the fall, practices are held two to three days per week. Squad members are required to find an additional two times during the week to maintain their individual workouts. Workouts typically include TRX and cardio.
- Performances: The Cheer Squad performs at athletic, community outreach, campus, alumni, media, and community events throughout the year, beginning in Spring Quarter immediately following auditions.
What to Expect on Audition Day:
- Audition Material: Both male and female candidates will perform the UCLA Fight Song. Female candidates will perform an additional sideline filler routine. Audition material will be provided to candidates prior to tryouts.
- Stunts: Male applicants will be evaluated on coed/partner stunting. Female applicants will be evaluated on coed/partner stunting and/or all-girl/group stunting dependent on their stunt position. Female applicants who are versatile in multiple stunt positions are preferred.
- Tumbling: Both male and female candidates will be given the opportunity to showcase their standing and running tumbling skills.
- Game Day Simulation: Both male and female candidates may be asked to perform various game day scenarios in groups such as the UCLA Fight Song, sideline filler routine, time outs and/or quarter changes, free stunting, tuck roll-offs, spiriting, etc. as if they were at a game.
- Interview: Both male and female candidates will deliver a personal statement (45 seconds max) and participate in a group interview where up to three questions may be asked.
What to Wear for Audition Clinics and Audition Day:
- Females:
- Sports bra
- Spandex shorts
- White, athletic shoes -- shoelaces tucked in -- appropriate for stunting
- Hair should be styled down and out of the candidate's face -- NO Ponytails
- Stage/game-ready/TV-ready make-up
- Appropriate bras or sport bras and bloomers/briefs
- No jewelry or body piercings, and tattoos must be covered
- No ribbons/bows
- No food or gum
- Overall clean, mature and collegiate presentation
- Males:
- Blue or black shorts
- Clean T-shirt
- Small, ankle socks
- White, athletic shoes -- shoelaces tucked in (shoes will not be worn during the gymnastics portion of the audition)
- Short, clean haircut
- No jewelry or body piercings, and tattoos must be covered
- No food or gum
- Overall clean, mature and collegiate presentation
Dance Team
The UCLA Dance Team supports the UCLA Athletic Department through performances and travel. The team maintains high standards for its dancers, emphasizing excellent technique, flexibility, and tricks.
Composition and Techniques:
- There are nine to fourteen members on the Dance Team.
- High standards for dancers: excellent technique, flexibility and tricks including triple turns, leaps, turns in second, jumps in second, switch leaps and leg hold/leg hold turns (tumbling is not required, but encouraged).
- The Dance Team learns more than 50 routines to music by the UCLA Bruin Marching Band and recorded music for football and basketball timeout performances.
- Squad members must also be familiar with cheerleading arm motions and be able to work with poms.
- Returning members must audition each year and are not guaranteed a spot on the team.
Time Commitments:
- Spring and Summer: Throughout the month of May, the squad will meet 2-3 nights per week to work on dance technique and material for upcoming events and football games. The team has the month of July off. The full squad is required to attend Training Camp in August.
- Rehearsals and Workouts: Once classes begin for fall quarter, practices are held 2-3 nights per week. Dance Team members are required to find an additional two times during the week to maintain their individual workouts. Typically, workouts are with our trainer and include TRX. Rehearsals are with the coach and involve learning and reviewing game material.
- Performances: The Dance Team performs at athletic, community outreach, campus, alumni, media and community events throughout the year, beginning in Spring Quarter immediately following auditions.
What to Expect on Audition Day:
- Prior to Audition Day: Dancers will learn an across the floor combination, a Fight Song, and a Performance Routine via videos released the week leading up to Audition Day. The Fight Song involves traditional Pom style dancing, straight-arm motions, and is performed with poms. The Performance Routine incorporates jazz and/or hip hop.
- Before the Audition: Dancers should arrive stretched and ready to perform the across the floor combination, Fight Song and Performance Routine. This is an opportunity for dancers to warm up and hear the music.
- Preliminary Round(s): Dancers will perform the across the floor combination, Fight Song, and Performance Routine in small groups during the Preliminary Round(s) on Audition Day. The judges will deliberate, and those students advancing to the Final Round will be announced. Dancers may be asked to perform improvisation across the floor, highlighting any additional dance styles, tricks, or tumbling he/she has. This is the candidate's opportunity to demonstrate skills that are not presented in the Fight Song or Performance Routine.
- Final Round: Dancers advancing to the Final Round will stay and perform the across the floor combination, Fight Song, and Performance Routine (a second time). Dancers will also participate in group interviews. Two to three questions are asked during each interview.
What to Wear for Audition Clinics and Day:
- Females:
- Black Dance Spandex shorts, leggings, unitard or biketard
- Black fitted dance top
- Jazz shoes
- Hair should be styled down and out of the candidate's face -- NO Ponytails
- One pair of earrings may be worn -- ALL other jewelry must be removed and tattoos must be covered
- Stage/performance makeup
- No ribbons or bows
- No food or gum
- Overall clean, mature and collegiate presentation
- Males:
- Black pants or shorts
- Black form fitting top
- Athletic shoes or jazz shoes
- Hair out of face
- No jewelry or body piercings, and tattoos must be covered
- No food or gum
- Overall clean, mature and collegiate presentation
Mascots (Joe and Josie Bruin)
UCLA’s mascots, Joe and Josie Bruin, perform at athletic events and special events, both on and off-campus.
Composition and Techniques:
- 6 Joe's and 6 Josie's are selected.
- Mascots must have enthusiasm and coordination to excel as Joe or Josie Bruin.
- They must understand the timing of sports to effectively follow/lead cheers and make an impact on the crowd.
- Returning members must audition each year and are not guaranteed a spot on the team.
Time Commitments:
- Spring and Summer: Mascots will meet during spring quarter to review goals and expectations for the year and will have July off.
- Performances:
What to Expect on Audition Day:
- Candidates will be expected to perform the fight song, lead a cheer, and explain an original mascot skit idea.
- Each candidate will participate in a group interview and deliver a personal statement (45 seconds). Two to three questions are asked during each interview.
Financial Support
The UCLA Spirit Squad relies on funding from Campus Life and private support to provide scholarships for its members. These scholarships help offset the costs of tuition, books, and living expenses, allowing student-athletes to focus on their academic and extracurricular commitments.
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Scholarship Endowments
- Charles and Toni Horn
- John and Mary Manuck
- William Rehrig ’93
- Bob ’57, M.S. ’63 and Dorothy Webb
Donations can also be made to support the Spirit Squad's programmatic needs, such as new uniforms, mascot suit repairs, and summer housing.
Additional Information
Spirit Squad Location
The Spirit Squad is part of the Campus Life program, a division of Student Affairs.
Recruitment
Spirit Squad members are accepted into UCLA based on their academic merit and are not recruited. The Spirit Squad has no connection to the Admissions process.
Squad Demographics
The Squad includes students from all walks of life, including those who are the first in their family to attend college, transfer students, international students, and military-connected students. The team encompasses a variety of majors including psychobiology, political science, nursing, biochemistry, business economics, public affairs and more.
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