LARAMIE -- Have you ever wondered what the story is behind the University of Wyoming’s Spirit Squad?

Who are they? Where are they from? What they do?

The UW Cheerleaders, and Wyoming mascot, Pistol Pete, have a great time supporting UW athletics and showcasing their skills at various sporting events, as well as making appearances throughout the community and all over the great state of Wyoming.

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During the football season, 7220sports.com’s DJ Johnson will bring you the segment “Spirit Spotlight," highlighting some of the athletes that make it all happen.

 

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Name: Tyson Bradley

Hometown: Cheyenne, Wyoming

School Year: Junior

Major: Kinesiology

Spirt Squad Year: Third

 

7220 sports: I’ve noticed that during home games you’re one of the cheer members that leads the team onto the field carrying the W-Y-O flags. What does that experience mean to you?

Tyson: It’s so awesome. I actually volunteered to run the “W” because it’s such a cool feeling – you’re leading the team out, you’re running behind the horse, the crowd is so loud and it’s just a crazy moment and I have so much adrenaline. If you think about it, it’s actually a 100-yard sprint and you don’t really think about it being that far because it’s just so surreal in the moment.

 

7220sports: After missing -- well, at least being extremely limited in performances in 2020 -- what is the first thing that comes to your mind that describes how you feel about being on the sidelines when you took the field against Montana State at War Memorial Stadium?

Tyson: Really exciting to be out there and actually being on the sidelines. Last year, for the few games, we were stuck out on the concrete and we couldn’t stunt. We just kind of stood there with not a lot to do. This year I’m really excited to be back on the sidelines, especially being able to interact with the crowd and throw up some stunts every now and then.

 

7220sports: What are some of your strengths that you believe make you the best athlete and teammate?

Tyson: Man, that’s a tough one. I would say this being my third year, I have a good idea of what’s going on. Having that experience, I mean, even last year we didn’t get that much experience, so looking back to my freshman year, that really has helped me be where I’m at today. This year, we have the new freshmen, and in reality, even the sophomores are kind of in there first year of experience because we didn’t get the typical experiences given the limits of last year.

 

7220sports: Given the fact that last year was a wash, what did you personally do to stay busy and maintain your level of commitment and motivation?

Tyson: One thing that kept me motivated was one of my roommates and I would actually lift every day. That really kept me motivated both for cheer and school. Outside of cheer practice, a lot of us would put together open gyms and we would go 2-3 times per week and just stunt so we could continue to progress. We made it a priority and ensured that we made time every day to ensure we continued to progress as we needed to.

 

7220sports: You’re from Cheyenne and have the luxury of moving 45 minutes down the road to cheer for the University of Wyoming in Laramie. What does that mean to be from Wyoming and having the opportunity to cheer for your home state university?

Tyson: It’s awesome because home is only 45 minutes away. It’s interesting because the last two years I’ve been on the team there have only been five or six other members who were from Wyoming, however, this year we have closer to 15 or so members who are also from Wyoming. I like that they’re taking more people from Wyoming because they’re recognizing the talent in the state and giving those athletes the opportunity.

 

7220sports: Describe the relationship between the UW spirit squad and the community. Not only here in Laramie, but around the state.

Tyson: We do quite a bit of stuff in the community in Laramie with local businesses and outside of Laramie we support things like the Cowboy Joe Auction and we often help out during Cowboy Joe golf tournaments. While at the golf tournaments, we’ll help with specific holes, sell raffle tickets and pretty much represent the University in that manner. Doing those things allows us to get our names out there, to represent the Spirit Squad, and it allows people to get an understanding of who we are as a team.

 

7220sports: What professional sport do you follow most and why?

Tyson: Baseball. I played baseball throughout high school in Cheyenne for American Legion Post 6. A lot of my friends here, we’ll watch baseball and we make it into a social event.

 

7220sports: If you could have dinner with any person -- living or not -- who would it be and why?

Tyson: Leonardo DiCpario. I really enjoy so many of his movies, and if I had the opportunity to sit down with him, I’d probably just fan-boy and ask him a lot about his movies. Of all of his movies, my favorite one is Catch Me If You Can with Tom Hanks.

 

7220sports: If I gave you two plane tickets to anywhere in the world, where would you go, who would you take and why?

Tyson: I’d take my dad, Raymond, and we would go to Japan -- maybe Tokyo. I grew up as a military brat. My dad was in the Air Force and I lived in both Germany and Italy but I’ve never been to the Pacific. So, from a cultural standpoint, I’d like to go there to see the differences.

 

My favorite food is: Pasta

My favorite restaurant is: Crowbar & Grill

My favorite music artist is: Post Malone

My favorite professional athlete is: Nolan Arenado

Describe Laramie in five words: Fun, small town, genuine, culturally enriched, exciting

My favorite thing about a Wyoming football game day is: The crowd

Can you ride a horse? Maybe. I haven't done it in a little while, but possibly

Favorite quote: “Make the most of what you got because stuff is going to happen and there are things you can control, and things you can’t, so you have to work with what you got.” - Unknown

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