Spirit

The largest Family Weekend in GCU history runs Friday through Sunday and is chock full of activities. Here is a partial list: Chapel, performances of Macbeth, competitive and casual golf at the GCU Golf Course, Parent Hospitality in Thunder Alley, a showing of “Incredibles2” on the Grove Lawn, performances by students from the College of Fine Arts and Production, performances by Spirit teams, competitive games or matches by the softball, men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s swimming teams, a Thunder Bolt shopping spree, family sand volleyball and a family service project.

A record 846 students camped out in 168 tents in preparation for Midnight Madness and for the opportunity to create a unique college experience. “I wanted to be part of the crowd,” said freshman Trent Bowman. “I wanted to be part of the community.”

By Theresa Smith GCU News Bureau Long lines of students sitting on the grass or the pavement, endlessly playing cards, snacking, talking and dozing? If it sounds like madness, it is — Midnight Madness. Grand Canyon University students seeking premium seats for Midnight Madness are tailgating and tenting, as organized by the leaders of the Havocs, GCU’s nationally recognized cheer section. “Camp Elliott grows every year and people do it because they like it,” said Havocs Co-President Shelby Langston.  “Yes, they want a good spot for Midnight Madness, but they also enjoy being outside with their friends and changing it up.”  Camp Elliott, coined for Daniel Elliott, the first student to start the tradition, in 2015, will end on Friday, Oct. 5, at 10 a.m. when all students will be given their lineup numbers.  The doors to GCU Arena will open at 11:15 p.m. for Midnight Madness, featuring the men’s and women’s basketball teams, along with their coaches, Dan Majerle and Nicole Powell, and performances by the spirit teams: the Thundering Heard Pep Band, Cheer, Dance and Thunder. The theme for this latest edition of Midnight Madness is mysterious. “They are in for a wild night since The Joker, “Thunder,’’ […]

An early pre-event start and a power outage sent a frenzied crowd of over 7,000 students into an even higher energy level of dancing, clapping, singing and cheering at Thursday night’s Lope-A-Palooza at GCU Arena. The Thundering Heard Band, Cheer team, Dance team, Thunder and the Havocs leaders put on an unforgettable show to kick off the academic school year and pump up new and returning members of the Havocs to support athletics, including the men’s and women’s soccer teams who made an appearance prior to their home opening matches tonight.

Before they can even get unpacked, Havocs leaders have a message for new and returning GCU students: “We want you!’’ Indeed, maintaining the incredible spirit of the Havocs is an all-in enterprise. “It takes every single student,’’ Havocs Co-President Jake Bradshaw said. The learning process begins on Thursday at Lope-A-Palooza, an incredibly entertaining event featuring Thunder, the Cheer and Dance teams, the Thundering Heard Pep Band and the Havocs. It is the perfect time for students — who all are inherently Havocs — to learn the chants and movements that give the Lopes a home-field and home-court advantage.

The GCU dance team gained the respect of peer teams, via the Spirit Award, while learning 38 new dances and serving as ambassadors for each other and God. Eight members of the team took part in the United Spirit Association (USA) camp in Las Vegas and all 32 dancers participated in the United Dance Association (UDA) camp at the University of California-Santa Barbara. “We want to be ambassadors of our school, ambassadors of our faith, ambassadors of one another,” said Dance Coach Jacque Genung-Koch. “This is something I am most proud about. We built relationships. The instructors told me that our dancers inspired others. It was encouraging to be is shining for everyone else.”

Story by Ryan Kryska Photos by Travis Neely GCU News Bureau The grapevine is purple for a reason. It’s how sophomore Isiah Brown heard about the way Lopes do things, ultimately leading to his decision to join the herd this year on Grand Canyon University’s men’s basketball team. He said in April, “I can’t wait to meet them. I’ve heard great things …” and on Friday, faculty, staff, alumni and students showed him great things. “They are really about what they say they’re about,” Brown said. “It’s great helping the people that will be out supporting our team at the games.” Men’s basketball coach Dan Majerle said the team tries to make it out to volunteer during Welcome Week every year. “We want to be a big part of this university and the guys love being out here,” he said. The team was just one of the many groups of Lopes out before the sun to move in 1,100 Welcome Crew members, who in return will move in the remainder of on-campus student next week. Nine members of the University’s qualifying specialists department were among the Lopes moving in student volunteers. Qualifying specialist and alumna Hannah Miller was one of them, covering all […]

  By Theresa Smith GCU News Bureau Just for a moment, forget about winning the top award in every category and focus on the outcome that does not appear in the official results. After days of driving the Grand Canyon University Cheer team, consecutive mornings of listening to their daily devotionals, witnessing their approach to each other, and their evident love amid catching each other with sure hands and an authentic smile, the bus driver was profoundly affected. GCU Cheer coach Emily Stephens, who began the program 11 years ago, was brought to tears when Dean, the bus driver, took her aside and told her that he was thinking about returning to church, and the deciding factor was his observations of her 49-member cheer team, plus Thunder and Thunder’s friends. “It was the most exciting thing for us,’’ she said upon returning from the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) camp at the University of California-Santa Barbara. “He said he felt a spirit coming up from the front of the bus. The fact that the group could show him that love and that spirit and represent Christ is remarkable. For him to feel that and make that decision after being with our […]

Grand Canyon University Dance team coach Jacque Genung-Koch is the driving force behind the phenomenal success of the program, which integrates with the Cheer team, Thunder, the Havocs and the band for a highly charged atmosphere at athletic contests and campus and community events. She says there’s more anticipation than ever for this year.