Two-and-a-half minutes. In competitive cheerleading, that’s all the time a squad gets to prove its merit in competition. The Ithaca College cheerleaders have made the most of those two minutes and 30 seconds, having won the last two competitions they’ve entered. The most recent one was last Saturday at the All Spirit National Championships in Hershey, Pa.

But unlike big-time cheerleading colleges, or even high schools, the 17 Bomber cheerleaders do more than just practice for their competitions. The squad has to raise almost all of the money required to attend the competitions, too. In most cases, that total is more than $4,000. This means bake sales, car washes, pancake breakfasts and even selling candy bars.

For junior co-captain Amanda Bussett, Ithaca is a far cry from her high school in Connecticut, where her squad went to six competitions a year.

“Competing takes up a lot of time,” she said. “But we also have to raise $4,000. It’s hard raising the money just to go to one competition.”

That’s $4,000 for travel, lodging, food and entry fees. Not to mention that this year, the squad got its first new set of uniforms since it was founded six years ago. Junior co-captain Amanda Howard, who is in charge of fundraising, said there’s also the long process of getting fundraisers approved by the school.

Practice is no walk in the park either. The Bomber cheerleaders won both competitions they’ve entered because, like any other team, they constantly repeat their routine until they hit it three times in a row. That goes along with practicing three times a week and performing at home football and basketball games.

Howard said that, for all the hours spent practicing, the two-and-a-half minutes of competition become a blur. It doesn’t help that teams must wait backstage behind a curtain before being called out. That’s about the time the adrenaline starts pumping.

“When you’re backstage, your heart is racing,” she said. “You do the routine over and over, but you don’t remember what happens because of the adrenaline.”

It may not seem like much — after all, other Bomber sports teams log hours of game time — but it makes those minutes all that more precious.

It also makes them the most efficient Ithaca team. In five minutes of competition, the Bomber cheerleaders have logged two victories. Who cares if they can’t remember it?