By Catherine Laroche
The University of Louisville cheerleaders took home the title of overall cheerleading champions, and the Ladybirds finished second at the National Cheer and Dance Association Collegiate Competitions in Daytona, Fla., April 6-7.
“I think overall all of the teams put on a very good performance,” junior all-girl team cheerleader Jessica Darnell said.
The large co-ed and small co-ed teams took home another championship with scores of 9.63 and 9.42, respectively. The all-girl squad fell short of a national championship title to the University of Maryland by .13 points, putting them in the runners-up position.
This was the fourth consecutive year that the large co-ed squad has won a national championship and the second year that small co-ed has won the title. Louisville’s small co-ed has only been in existence for two years.
The Ladybirds finished in second place behind Brigham Young University with a score of 9.50. BYU received a score of 9.53.
The cheerleaders’ scores were based on skill, stunts, tumbling, baskets, pyramids, motions/dance/collegiate appeal and crowd cheer.
“Our goal before we went out there was to just dance with our hearts,” said junior Ladybird Katie Lacey. “When we walked off stage and saw our fans and our parents jumping up and down, there was no doubt in our mind that no matter what happened we did our best.”
The spirit groups kept busy during their stay in Daytona. They woke up at 5 a.m. for hair and make-up on Thursday, then competed in the prelims, practiced over and over again, watched each other perform and then competed for a national title on Friday. The teams bonded by going out to eat and working together.
“We had to stay together at all times,” Darnell said. “There was no time for family, friends or anything other than Louisville cheerleading until we finished competing at finals. We would eat, practice and walk everywhere together.”
They feel the bond they developed helped their performance.
“I definitely feel that we took it up a notch this year,” sophomore Samantha Tackett said. “Even though we didn’t have the outcome that we feel we deserved, I know the returning team members are even more motivated to work hard and win back the title.”
Although some of the spirit groups left Daytona unsatisfied with a runner-up title, they still had fun and formed memories that they will remember forever.
“The best part of nationals was the feeling I felt as we hit a solid routine, and we had our audience see the passion we all feel for dance,” Tackett said. “The whole nationals experience is amazing because we get to share it with each other, and we are all best friends. It was so wonderful to see how proud we had made our coaches who work so hard to make us the amazing dancers we have all become.”
With nationals coming to an end, it only means that it’s time for the cheerleaders and Ladybirds to come up with another strategy and routine to win a national title at next year’s competition. The next item on the agenda is to support the football team at the spring game on Friday and then host tryouts on April 27-30.
“I’m really looking forward to my senior year with the Ladybirds,” Lacey said. “It came really fast, but I’m looking forward to taking every moment in with my teammates and my classes.”
Next year, the teams want to step it up even more.
“We want to win back our title that we held for five years,” Darnell said. “I’m sure we will practice harder than ever, but I know it will be worth it.”
If you want to see the cheerleaders’ and Ladybirds’ performances in Daytona, tune in to CBS on April 22 at 2 p.m.
