SMU cheerleaders head to Dayton Beach, Fla. for Nationals competition (Photo by Nate Regan, The Daily Campus)
This Thursday and Friday, the SMU cheerleaders will return to College Nationals today in Daytona Beach, Fla. to compete for the National Cheerleading Association’s national championship.
For the first time in 11 years, SMU’s cheerleaders traveled to Daytona Beach last April to compete in the most prestigious cheerleading competition in the nation, National Cheerleading Association’s College Nationals. The team returned home hundredths of a point away from claiming the national title in the small co-ed division.
Many students came out to Moody Coliseum on Monday night to watch the cheer squad perform a preview of their Nationals routine. The tables were turned as numerous Mustang football and basketball stars were cheering on the cheerleaders as they showcased their routine for SMU’s student body.
“We had a great turnout tonight,” said Ryan Trimble, captain of SMU’s cheerleading squad.
Each team performs a two minute and 15-second routine packed with multiple tumbling, dancing and stunting skills in front of thousands beginning with the preliminary round tomorrow. Only half of the teams will advance to finals, a feat SMU hopes to accomplish again this year. The final round takes both extreme mental and physical preparation. A small bobble during a difficult stunting sequence can cost a team the title.
“We have been preparing for this all year,” said Jennifer Kesterson, a returning junior. “Following basketball season, practices were bumped up to five times per week, for three hours each day,” she said. After a long day of classes for team members, practices often begin at 9 p.m. and can last as late as 1 a.m., leaving few hours for relaxation or studying.
There are 25 members on the team this year, but only 20 will take the floor at nationals. Only four men are allowed on the mat in the small co-ed division, the remaining male members will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. to cheer on their teammates. SMU will fund some of the trip for the athletes, but squad members have also been working since last summer to raise the remaining funds necessary to travel to Florida through hosting multiple cheerleading camps.
The squad worked at this summer at NCA’s college camp to receive a bid to nationals in April, but this was only the beginning for the team.
The squad also began training with a new coach this year.
“Zach Brannon is the first male cheerleading coach during my four years here, which is different, but it’s been a positive change. Zach has really got the program going in the right direction,” Trimble said.
“I’m very excited. I love the competitive atmosphere. It’s a great closing to the cheerleading season,” Kesterson said.
The hard work is complete for the squad. Now, the teammates must hit and perform the routine perfectly under extreme pressure beginning this afternoon, the team’s final day of preparation before competition.
This time, students hope the cheerleaders will return victorious and claim the No. 1 position in cheerleading, nationally. But regardless, after Monday night, SMU’s squad has gained the respect of the majority of the student body.
