ROYAL BLUE flags divide the sky to declare an indisputable victory. The cheering voices of students fill the air. At the center of the crowd are the Blue Knights, the official color guard of Yonsei University, making their way to the frontline of Yonsei’s cheering culture. A month before taking on the main stage of the Yon-Ko Games, the Blue Knights gather to celebrate the graduation of their senior members. The stylish Gate performance in front of the Central Library catches the eyes of the passerby and arouses a sense of great expectation towards the Blue Knights’ upcoming flag performance in the Yon-Ko Games. In order to get better acquainted with our official color guard, The Yonsei Annals interviewed Kim Jung-hyun (Soph., Dept. of Econ.), the leader of the Blue Knights.
 
 

Annals: What kind of organization is the Blue Knights and to what institution does it belong?

Kim: The Blue Knights are an autonomous student organization under the Office of Student Affairs & Services of Yonsei University. It promotes the cheering culture of Yonsei along with Akaraka, the official cheering squad, and So-na-gi, the rock band. We cheer by using flags and lead three kinds of performances: Flag Spinning, Mass Game and Gate. Mass Game and Gate are special performances in which we spin and twist the flags to make a variety of shapes and form a flag gate.
 
 

Annals: The Blue Knights are well-known for their performance in the Yon-Ko Games and the joint cheering session. What other performances or activities are the Blue Knights involved in?

Kim: The Yon-Ko Games and the joint cheering session are definitely the main events, but we also teach cheer songs and their routines at freshman orientations and pre-frosh workshops. This cheering orientation allows freshmen to participate in and fully enjoy the Yon-Ko Games and the joint cheering session. Apart from that, we also perform at the Dae-dong-jae* eve festival from time to time, like we did in Songdo last spring semester.
 
 

Annals: Yonsei University is famous for its passionate cheering, and, in many cases, Akaraka tends to be the most well-know*n and tends to get all the spotlight. How are the Blue Knights different from Akaraka in terms of their role in the Yonsei University cheering culture?

Kim: The biggest difference is in the amount of spotlight we receive, as you mentioned. In Akaraka and cheering squads of other universities, individuals who are on stage stand out the most. Nevertheless, what is more important for us is to synchronize the movements of all members, rather than to gain attention as a single individual.
   In terms of our role within the Yonsei cheering culture, the Blue Knights enrich the visuals at the Yon-Ko Games. The flags effectively capture the crowd’s attention, especially in the special cheering session during halftime, when it is hard to draw attention without the aid of instruments. In that sense, the Blue Knights serve an auxiliary role to fill in the gaps of the other cheering squad and bring balance to the overall cheering performance.
 
With that, we wish the Blue Knights the best of luck and hope to see their spectacular performance in the upcoming Yon-Ko Games.
 
*Dae-dong-jae: An annual school festival of Yonsei University
저작권자 © The Yonsei Annals 무단전재 및 재배포 금지