The SMU Pom squad performs their Nationals routine in a performance in Moody Coliseum in March. Teams from all over the Dallas area came to perform their routines before leaving for Daytona Beach, Flor. (Casey Lee)
For the SMU Pom squad, just the thought of repeating as National Champions in the Open Division of the National Dance Alliance Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships was surreal. Scoring a 9.575, the 13 athletes made their dream come true, continuing their reign in the open division, giving them their fourth national title in five years.
Held on the Bandshell in Daytona Beach, Fla., the competition featured over 200 hundred college cheer and dance teams from all over the country. Divided into 15 divisions, each team is required to go through a preliminary round before debuting in the final round, held on April 9.
“Winning first was an incredible feeling, we knew how much work we put into it and were so proud of ourselves no matter how things turned out,” said Megan Sheehan.
“It was tough at times because practices were long and extremely difficult, but we were constantly encouraging each other and that is what prepared us and give us the ability to keep going and never settle for ‘good’.”
SMU defeated Western Michigan University by .144 points, performing a flawless routine with no point or safety deductions. In-state rival, University of North Texas, finished in fourth place, Western Michigan came in second, followed by West Virginia University at third.
Performing to a routine choreographed by Johnathan Lewis to Enigma’s “Gravity of Love,” junior Brittany Kemper said the team’s endless hours of practice and hard work paid off in the end.
“This year we were actually the talk of the competition after taking first place in 2008,” said Kemper.
“Teams and coaches seek out to know what style of dance we are doing, who our choreographer is, what music we are dancing to and what we do to make our performance the best. It gives us dancers a lot of motivation to know that other teams give everything at this competition because they strictly, just want to beat the SMU Pom squad.”
A key component in winning the competition is synchronization. Having to dance as one unit, the team spent hours practicing their moves in perfect timing with one another. If one motion stood out from the formation, judges would deduct points from the team’s final score.
“Working together as a team and having confidence is so important,” explained sophomore Amanda Kovach. “Dancing as one rather than as individuals is something that we had to work hard to achieve. You have to dance like you will never dance again.”
Also hoping to clinch the National Championship title was the SMU Cheer squad. Complete with four males and 16 females, the co-ed squad was once again unable to knock off defending champions, Louisville.
“As a team, we all worked toward the same goal of being better than last year and to prove that SMU is a competitive Cheer squad,” said graduate student Cassie Thiessen. “Our entire routine was beautiful. I have never had a better feeling walking off the floor with any routine or team. The thing we did best was pull together. Everyone trusted their teammates and did their individual job in order to hit an amazing routine.”
Hoping to defeat the Cardinals and break into the No.1 spot for the first time in the program’s history, the SMU Cheer squad finished in second place by .03 points in the small co-ed division, giving the title to Louisville for the second consecutive year, and fourth repeat performance as the top team in five years. For the second time in as many years, the SMU Cheer team has finished in second place.
The best part of competing was knowing we did our best and looked incredible,” said Thiessen. “We gained the respect of other programs who have underestimated us in the past. We wore our uniforms with pride and got the respect we have all worked so hard to earn as a program. People now recognize SMU as a squad to watch out for in the future because we are a talented and worthy opponent.”
Despite a fall in the opening minutes of the routine in the preliminary round, and a few mistakes in the tumbling portion of the routine, the Mustangs performed a flawless routine in finals to move them to second place, ahead of five other teams, including Oklahoma State University, the University of Maryland and the University of Colorado.
“Prelims was a pretty shaky performance for our team. We had a number of injuries to overcome and we also had a couple of members who had never competed before,” explained Thiessen. “We made our mistakes the first day, but we left them there on the floor.”
With tryouts just a few weeks away, both teams barely receive a break before starting the new season. With four national titles under their belt, the Pom squad, as well as the cheer squad, hopes to gain more recognition on campus and in the realm of competitive dancing and cheerleading.
“The Pom squad, as well as the cheerleaders put so much of their time and effort in what we do for this school, it is hard to believe that we are barely recognized on campus,” said Kemper. “A majority of the students and faculty at this university do not even know that a competitive dance team exists on this campus.”
