Michigan college's stunt team welcomes 'Golden Girls' from assisted living facility to cheer on field

By FOX 2 Staff
Published  January 16, 2026 9:26am EST
FOX 2 Detroit

(Photo: Ferris State University)

The Brief

    • Ferris State University's Cheer and STUNT Team welcomed residents of an assisted living facility to cheer with them last fall.
    • This performance came as part of a community engagement initiative that included spending time at the facility with the residents. 
    • The team is now in the running for an NCAA Award of Excellence.

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (FOX 2) - After bringing residents of a nearby assisted living facility onto the field to cheer with them last fall, a Michigan college's stunt team is in the running for a community engagement award.

Ferris State University's Cheer and STUNT Team welcomed residents of The Brook in Big Rapids to the field. Dubbed the "Golden Girls," these women cheered alongside the team at halftime on Oct. 11, 2025, following monthly pamper days, where the student-athletes visited the assisted living facility to spend time with those who live there.

(Photo: Ferris State University)

After clocking more than 765 community engagement hours, the team is now in the running for a 2026 NCAA Award of Excellence for community engagement and leadership after being selected as the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference nominee.

"This is a tremendous honor for Ferris State University, Bulldog Athletics and our STUNT program to be chosen as a national finalist for this award," Ferris State Athletics Director Steve Brockelbank said. "Our teams annually help give back to the local community and this was a great initiative that was implemented this past year that shows just how engaged our student-athletes are and how important service is to our programs."

(Photo: Ferris State University)

Each finalist will receive $750. The winner will receive $3,000, with the second-place finisher getting $1,750 and the third-place finisher awarded $1,500. Prize money will be used for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee programming or community engagement events.

Winners will be announced later at the NCAA Convention, which is currently being held.

Dig deeper:

Ferris State's STUNT program will officially debut this spring. 

The sport includes competition between teams who execute skills-based routines in various categories, including partner stunts, jumps and tumbling, pyramids and tosses along with team routines.

It is the first sport the team has added in 25 years. 

The Source: This information is from Ferris State University. 

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