Primal chants echoed off an empty Jack Trice Stadium early Sunday afternoon as a group of about 20 students performed a routine as part of Homecoming Week’s “Yell-Like-Hell” competition.

The students flailed their bodies in unison, thrashing around the stadium’s parking lot while screaming at the top of their lungs, fueled only by adrenaline and Cyclone pride.

As the routine rose to its crescendo, the students, chanting “Y-E-L-L, when we yell, we yell like hell,” enveloped the small panel of judges sitting in front of the stage. At the height of its frenzy, the routine came to a sudden halt. The gathering of onlookers cheered, and the students all but crawled off of the makeshift stage, panting from exhaustion.

Ian Barker, member of the group representing the fraternities Phi Gamma Delta and Adelante and the sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, said working hard is par for the course when it comes to “Yell-Like-Hell.”

“If you do it right, you’re going to be exhausted when it’s over,” said Barker, freshman in chemical engineering.

He said the group had a wonderful time both organizing and performing their routine, but said they are competing to win.

“It’s extremely competitive,” he said.

“All the groups put in so much work and practice. You’re yelling your head off for five minutes, but, then again, if you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Tiffany Lentz, coordinator for “Yell-Like-Hell,” said each group practiced two hours a day, four days a week for the last month-and-a-half.

Lentz, senior in health and human performance, helped organize the teams, select judges and schedule practices, and said 13 groups entered the competition.

“The top seven groups from today will go on to compete on Wednesday, and the top three from that competition will perform at the finals during the pep rally on Friday,” she said.

Each five-minute skit, she said, had to incorporate this year’s Homecoming theme, “Ignite your Cyclone Pride,” and was judged on originality, clarity and choreography.

Just a few yards away from the “Yell-Like-Hell” stage, another group of students were painting and decorating a white-washed section of the parking lot dubbed “Victory Lane.”

“We’ve got 25 groups participating in ‘Victory Lane’ this year,” said Joseph Finelli, Homecoming Central Displays co-chairman.

He said local businesses were invited to participate this Homecoming, a change from previous years.

“We sent 530 letters out to local businesses, and we got a great response,” said Finelli, junior in management. “So this might be something we’ll continue for a while.”