The Cheer News

 TheLeger.com reported on the Auburndale High’s Cheerleading team.  After loosing 10 seniors their coach did not expect much from them this year.  Much to her surprise and excitement they not only won all 5 competitions they entered but also took home three grand champion titles.

Just when Auburndale competitive cheerleading coach Julie Jennings thought her team wasn’t going to be any good, the squad went out and won five out of five events and captured its division at the Cheer Sport Nationals in Atlanta for the first time.

Read the full story… 

The Chico Cheer All Stars competed in the UCA all-star cheerleading championships held in Walt Disney World the first weekend of March.  They competed in the Senior Open Level 2 division.  From the ChicoER.com:

The team performed a two-and-a-half minute routine that earned its members the national championship trophy, jackets and banner in the Senior Open Level 2 division.

The team had previously qualified by placing first at Bay Area Regionals in October at Six Flags Marine World.

Read the full story…

The McGill cheerleading squad competed last Saturday in the National Cheerleaders Association’s championship held in New York City.  They took home the championship in level-6 despite injuries just before the competition.  From the College Sports Media site:

Despite last minute injuries the McGill cheerleading squad managed to pull off a respectable showing at a National Cheerleaders Association’s (NCA) U.S. championship last Saturday in New York City. With a score of 6.63 out of a possible 11, McGill did not perform to the best of their abilities but returned as U.S. Champions as they were the only team in the Level-6 category. Co-captain and flyer Lauran Gibson suffered a broken ankle while attempting a gymnastics skill during a practice session. The modification that resulted introduced considerable instability to “stunts” where coordination and repetition are usually essential. Nevertheless, the routine proceeded fairly cleanly with only a few stunts failing to maintain themselves and no further injuries.

Read the full story… 

From an article in the APP.com.

The Toms River South cheerleading squad capped off an outstanding season by being named High School Grand Champions of the CheerTech’s National Cheer and Dance Championships that was held at the Wildwood Convention Center on Mar. 8 and 9.

The Indians claimed the Small Varsity title topping second place Central Bucks West of Doylestown, Pennslyvania by 17 points. The team’s total score of 518 points was just enough to edge rivals St. John Vianney (517 points), winners of the Large Varsity Divison, for the top high school honor.

Read the full story…

March 18, 2008—New York, NY– Six Flags (NYSE: SIX) announced today the launch of the first-ever professional, theme park cheerleading team – Six Flags Thrilleaders. Making their public debut for the 2008 season, the Six Flags Thrilleaders will promote the company’s unique brand of thrilling entertainment and become an integral part of Six Flags’ ever-expanding entertainment offerings.

Under the direction of professional choreographer Tony Gonzalez, Cheer/Dance Choreographer for the Bring it On movie series, the Thrilleaders will captivate Six Flags guests with their explosive, high-energy routines and act as Ambassadors of Thrill throughout the Six Flags family of parks. In addition to performing at parks, the Thrilleaders will also participate in various community, charitable and corporate events.

Auditions for the inaugural team will be held, Saturday, April 19, 2008, from 9 a.m – 4 p.m. at the Doubletree Times Square in New York City. The audition routine will be led by hot, new choreographer and Season 1 contestant on the hit show, So You Think You Can Dance, Ashlé Dawson. The Thrilleaders audition panel of judges will include Tony Gonzalez, Brittany Geragotelis, Associate Editor for American Cheerleader Magazine, and Kristin Siebeneicher, Director of Entertainment, Six Flags Great Adventure. Six Flags is looking for the best young women and men in cheerleading, dance and thrills that the nation has to offer. Candidates must be 18 years of age or older by the date of the audition. To pre-register for the auditions, go to www.sixflags.com/thrilleaders. You may also register in person on the day of auditions.

All media are invited and welcome to attend the auditions. For further information about The Thrilleaders team or to obtain official audition information, log-on to www.sixflags.com/thrilleaders or e-mail sfthrilleaders@sixflags.com.

Cheer Power put on the World Series of Cheerleading in Huntington, WV.  From the article:

There’s a lot to cheer about in Huntington – as hundreds of cheerleaders take over the Big Sandy Superstore arena.

More than 50 cheer and dance teams competed in the American Cheer Power St. Patrick’s Day Championship.

Read the full article…

They’re back for another season of tumbles and somersaults, this time it’s the cheerleaders of the University of Central Florida. The UCF Knights are the 2007 UCA reigning national champs, aiming to retain their title again this year with rigorous routines, tryouts and rehearsals.  Will the pay off of their hard work result in another trophy?

The show airs every Monday at  7:00pm and 7:30pm Easter time on WE TV.

Find out more about the show here.

ABC news has an excerpt from the book, ‘Cheer!: Three Teams on a Quest for College Cheerleading’s Ultimate Prize’.  I have been given a copy of the book and am reading it now.  I will post a review when I am done.

In the mean time I can say this so far.  The introduction includes a great history of cheerleading.  The best I have seen to date.

Read the full excerpt here

Found this article from the Rome News Tribune about a new competitive cheerleading program at Shorter College in Rome, GA.

Rachel Harrell Magness has been selected to head the first-ever Shorter College competitive cheerleading squad, which will begin competition in the fall of 2008. With the announcement of this new program, Shorter becomes the first private college in the state of Georgia and one of only a few private schools in the entire Southeast to offer full scholarships to competitive cheerleading athletes.

The new program, which will consist of a 20-member co-ed football/competition squad and a 16-member basketball squad, will be funded with 10 full scholarships, totaling more than $250,000 in scholarship allocations to competitive cheerleading athletes per year. They will compete in the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), which holds its college championship every April in Daytona Beach, Fla., and includes such teams as the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State University.

 See full article for more details…

 Ran across a really good article about the FHSAA first ever state cheerleading championship on tampabay.com

 If nerves didn’t get them, a rolled ankle or two did. At least a half dozen cheerleaders walked around with bags of ice. One, still dressed in her uniform, was laid up in a wheelchair. Plenty of others competed with knee braces on.

Welcome to the serious business of competitive cheerleading, which officially became a recognized prep sport in Florida last week at the inaugural competitive cheerleading state championships in Boca Raton.

 Read the full article…