Knowing and hearing someone say "I want to be like you when I grow up" can be a motivational and eye-opening comment that leads to someone taking their job, talents and overall daily activities a little more seriously.

These are just some of the many comments the Southeast Missouri State cheerleading squad look forward to hearing during their annual Rowdy's Junior Cheerleaders clinic. The clinic is a day-long event that allows girls between the ages of 4 and 12 to interact, learn and perform during halftime of that same day's football game.

"Attending this event provides the opportunity to be in front of the crowd for halftime and get a glimpse of what we do on a performance day," junior Kyleigh Branch said. "We also have it arranged for them to come to a camp with us that morning and learn chants, the routine and learn basic cheer motions."

Landing on Halloween this year, children will have the opportunity to attend the event in costume and participate in face painting there as well.

In addition to the participants being able to perform for the crowd, this will be an opportunity for family, friends and outright fans of Southeast athletics to meet the members of the cheerleading squad for a possible second or third time.

"It's fun due to this being our third year," junior Francheska Kathrop said. "A lot of the same girls continue to come back, so they remember our faces and some of them even remember our names. So it's really cool to have the memories with them as they continue to come back. Since it is on Halloween, our routine is all Halloween-based with Halloween music, which adds even more fun to this routine."

Going from being a participant to planning and eventually leading this event has been one of the many roles of head coach Kodie Edmonds. She said this is just one of the many community involvement opportunities that the cheerleading squad will provide throughout the year.

Edmonds said the event's previous title was "Sunbeams," with the Sundancers being the original host. The title described the participants as younger versions of the university's dance team.

The young participants would alternate between the Sundancers and the cheerleaders, learning a variety of chants and cheers leading up to the halftime show, where they would perform their practiced routines.

This year's clinic will separate the participants into three different groups based on their ages and will include a group performance by each age division. Each group's performance will be Halloween themed and consist of simultaneous actions during the chorus of the song.

Registration for the upcoming event can be sent to semocheer@gmail.com and should include the child's name, age and T-shirt size. A $30 registration fee is due at check-in and includes the cost of the clinic and child admission to Southeast's football game. The team will face Ohio Valley Conference opponent Tennessee Tech at 1 p.m Oct. 31 at Houck Stadium.