American Cheerleader

Hey all!

I don’t know what you all did this weekend, but fellow AC editor, Kathleen Hager and myself were in Orlando, FL, to witness all the high-flying action at Universal Cheerleaders Association’s (UCA) College Nationals! Held at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports Complex (soon to be the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex), we were buzzing with excitement as we watched some of the top college teams in the nation battle it out for first place in their divisions.

Being at college nationals always makes me a little nostalgic for my days as a competitive cheerleader—and this year was no exception. Kathy and I were even mistaken a couple of times as college athletes (which, for a 30-year-old like me, is a definite compliment!). We had the best seats in the house, front and center in the VIP area (yep, we’re “Very Important People”…). There were a ton of teams who caught our eyes, including (but not limited to) University of Memphis, University of Scranton, Sacramento State University, Southern Connecticut State University and Glendale College.

One of the highlights of my trip though, was seeing so many of our former Cheerleader of the Month winners on the competition mat. I was lucky enough to say hi to Sydney Anne McGough (Feb 2008 COM) now on University of Alabama (who placed 2nd in Coed Div1A), Lenée Passiglia (Dec 2008 COM) from Hofstra University (Small Coed Div1 champs), and Jessica Spitale (Jun 2006 COM) now on Louisiana State University (who placed 4th in Coed Div1A). All three of these girls are incredible and still as sweet as can be!

As far as trends go, we saw a lot of braids at the front of the head leading into a ponytail, big waves to the crowd from the athletes (a college staple now), clean collegiate uniforms, and music by the Black Eyed Peas, Lady Ga-Ga, Miley Cyrus & the Jonas Brothers—and of course, almost every team was no doubt inspired by the fantastically fabulous new hit show, “Glee,” and used the old faithful song, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey.

All in all, the weekend was a blast! One of the most memorable moments though, was when former University of Louisville cheerleader Brandon Gwynn proposed to former University of Kentucky cheerleader Tara Allen onstage during one of the awards ceremonies (she totally said yes!). Aw, Cheer Love….isn’t it grand!

Brittany