The Washington State University Spirit Program features Butch T. Cougar, the Cheer team and the Crimson Girls dance team.

The Cougars Spirit Program is comprised of talented, energetic and articulate young men and women who are enthusiastic about cheering for some of the most dynamic athletic teams in the Pac-12 Conference!

The Spirit Program is an important aspect of game production and public relations for Washington State University. Butch, WSU Cheer and the Crimson Girls serve as ambassadors for the University in a variety of ways including participation at all home games, University events and community appearances.

For more information about the WSU Spirit Program, please contact Spirit Coordinator/Head Cheer Coach Chris Opheim.

Go Cougs!

A 2008 graduate of the University of Arkansas, Opheim spent the previous four years as the all-star coordinator, head cheer coach and tumbling coach for the Arkansas Airborne in Fayetteville, Ark. With the Airborne, Opheim was responsible for training and developing the skills of all the squads and all-star levels, training all levels of tumbling classes, planning competition and practice schedules for all squads, choreographing nationally competitive all-star cheerleading routines and recruiting prospective members.

A member of the Universal Cheerleaders Association since June, 2004, Opheim served as a head instructor, college instructor, a member of the core instructional staff and a national's judge. In that capacity he coordinated and organized summer cheer camps, provided professional development for high school cheerleading coaches and served a judge for the college cheer and dance nationals and head judge of the National High School Cheerleading Championship.

Opheim started his collegiate career at Northern Iowa where he was a cheerleader from 2004-05. He later cheered at Arkansas from 2005-08 where he served as cheer team captain in 2007 and 2008. Opheim graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in Fort Dodge, Iowa in 2003 and received his degree in communication from Arkansas in 2008.

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