BU Cheer Team Competes at National Tournament
The Bluefield University cheer team competed on the national stage in the Open All-Girl Game Day Division of the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) College National Championship, January 14-16 in Orlando, Florida.
The team is led by coaches Ashley Taylor and MyKenzie Roach. Taylor has been the head coach for three years and has been assisted by Roach throughout that time.
“The team placed 17th this year,” Roach said about the national competition in Florida. “Each year the University has gone and competed we have continually improved our scores and minimized our mistakes.”
Teams come from all over the country to compete in this competition. All the teams that come to compete are fierce, and it creates a great, competitive atmosphere.
“Competing at nationals is a very exciting feeling,” Roach added. “The level of competition is insane. This is one of the largest cheer competitions a college program can compete in. The experience is very nerve-racking for the athletes, but also very rewarding.”
BU cheerleader Jordan McFarland also added, “The best part about competing in nationals was probably getting to see other college teams that you would see on TV for football. It was really cool to be on the same mat as big teams and get to showcase what we work on just as they would.”
Carrie-Anne Moss, another BU cheerleader, also added, “The best part about competing at nationals, in my opinion, is the boost that it gives the whole team. All of our work for the whole year comes together in one weekend, and we all get to spend so much time together that we really come together as a team.”
The coaches both expressed extreme pride in the way the team competed this year.
“As a coach, I am most proud of this team because we faced some adversity in the short weeks prior to the competition, and as a team and family, they rose to the occasion to rearrange our routine,” Taylor said. “Not only that, but for the first year since arriving, we hit zero. In the world of cheer, that means that our routine did not have any deductions.”
Roach also added, “I was very proud of all the effort the girls put in this year. I really hope the squad continues to grow and improve.”
McFarland and Moss describe the team’s time there as a learning experience.
“I think the team can learn from this that no matter who we go against, big or small,” McFarland said. “We can’t change the outcome, and we just have to be proud of what we put out there. We also have to understand that under every circumstance, us as a team did good.”
Moss also added, “The feedback from the score sheets and watching National Championship routines really gives us a great opportunity to learn, and we can incorporate these experiences into the next routine.”
The BU cheer team plans to head back to nationals next year with the goal of improving each time they attend.