From Jan. 10-15, the MSU cheerleading team performed in the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Competition in Orlando, Florida. 

This is the first time both of MSU’s routines placed in nationals, placing fifth in game day and eighth in traditional routine. Game day is more about crowd involvement and school spirit, whereas traditional focuses on technique and skilled stunts. 

Recent MSU graduate and flyer Jordan Ingram expressed pride in the team’s success at the competition. However, according to team captain and exercise physiology sophomore Adarion Miller, says it was hard the team did not place higher.

“I really, that was upsetting and kind of hurt. I mean, one, it was kind of good because we had never gotten both routines to final,” Miller said, continuing, “But fifth and eighth. I felt like game day, to me at least, I was like ‘It was a great routine.’ I guess we had a little stuff they didn’t like that we need to fix, and I felt we fixed it coming into finals.”

Miller described some places the team could improve.

“Maybe crack down on the technique, if I would say,” Miller said, “I need to make sure my coach says, ‘Hey, this group needs a little bit more work. Can they have some practice time outside of practice or something? Can we open the gym or something, figure something out so that we can make sure everybody’s good?” 

The team met some turbulence on the road to nationals, said Miller. 

“Say stuff wouldn’t hit or stuff wasn’t going the way we’d like it, we end up getting upset and that would carry over and have, like, a domino effect on everyone else,” Miller said, continuing, “But then we’d just take a break. I’d, like, play some music, that’d get everybody hype, everybody dancing, and then the mood would change. We’ll be right back into it.” 

Ingram described the process the team went through to get to nationals. The team’s primary practice method is two-a-days, where it practices early in the morning, and again in the evening. 

“In the summer, we get like the base of our routine. So we’ve been practicing since August over two routines,” Ingram said, “Two-a-days for like, two, three weeks over Christmas break. So when everyone was gone, we were here doing practices and stuff,” she later added. 

Both Miller and Ingram described the team’s anxiety going into nationals, speaking on the entrance of Morehead State University into the competition. Morehead State University is one of the highest ranked cheerleading teams in the country, with several members also being on Team USA.

“A lot of us, when we heard that, we were like ‘no way.’ Like it kind of put, like a damper on us. But it also made us want to try even harder. Like really show them that, like, ‘Okay, yeah, y’all might not know us, but we’re in the same division now and we’re gonna show why we deserve to be in this division just as much as you do,’” Ingram said. 

At the competition each team was allowed a 12-minute practice just before their two-and-a-half minute performance. During MSU’s practice time one of the team members, criminal justice sophomore Lauren Moon fractured her foot. 

“Like when we were warming up, about to go perform, she broke her foot and it was like, we’re like ‘no way,’” Ingram said, adding, “But she pushed through, oh my goodness.” 

In preparation for the competition, Miller tried to smooth over the team’s concerns. 

“So I was kind of thinking like, forget your nerves, you got to do what you need to do. And if you do what you need to do, it’ll help somebody else on the team,” Miller said.