2010 NCA Collegiate Cheer Championship
Bear Shots
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- On Thursday, April 8, 2010, the Cheer Bears of Morgan State faced the preliminary rounds of the NCA Collegiate National Cheerleading Championships held in Daytona Beach, Fla. Competing in the All-Girl I Intermediate Division, the Bears faced tough competitors such as North Carolina State, Univ. of Florida, Georgia Southern, and West Virginia in a total field of 14 Division I cheerleading teams.
At the completion of the first day of this prestigious cheerleading challenge, the Cheer Bears found themselves in third place.
"We were pleased that the girls performed so well", said Head Coach Theresa Gibson. "But we were a hoping that a top three finish the first day wouldn't give them a false sense of comfort for the upcoming final round the next day."
After reviewing video footage and the judges' critiques and comments, it was obvious that adjustments needed to be made if the team expected to finish as top contenders.
As a result of finishing third during the preliminary round, Morgan State was among the last to perform in the final round of competition. Standing backstage, the ladies could only use the cheers of the crowd as a gauge to how the other cheer teams were fairing. Once the Cheer Bears took the mat, they felt the sense of urgency to put their all into hitting their routine.
From the opening musical note to the final sound effect, the ladies fought to land their tumbling passes and stick their stunts. With the exception of a .10 deduction, the Cheer Bears found themselves pouring their hearts out on the mat in the midst of crowd encouragement and accompanying applause.
During the awards ceremony, the Cheer Bears and the 13 other division competitors were on pins and needles as the announcer read off the results of the final round scores in ascending order. With a third place finish in 2009, the ladies found it imperative not to land in a lower position this year. Although the goal was to finish first, the Cheer Bears brought home the bronze again. Finishing behind 1st place West Virginina (8.686) and 2nd place Georgia Southern (8.450), Morgan State finished 3rd (8.202) in a competitive field of Division I Intermediate challengers.
"Considering the high talent level of our challengers, it's an honor to finish third and we're proud of the ladies,” Gibson said. “It was a tight race. We know the team has what it takes to be competitive in this division.”
“In order to bring home the gold, we have to make some adjustments and motivate this team to face all contests at their peak performance level. "
NCA & NDA Collegiate National Championship
Ranking Team Name City State Total Point Safety Score
1 West Virginia University Morgantown WV 8.686 0.00 0.00 8.686
2 Georgia Southern University Statesboro GA 8.500 0.05 0.00 8.450
3 Morgan State University Baltimore MD 8.302 0.10 0.00 8.202
4 Sam Houston State University Huntsville TX 8.334 0.10 0.05 8.184
5 Texas A&M Competition Squad College Station TX 8.182 0.00 0.00 8.182
6 North Carolina State University Raleigh NC 8.284 0.15 0.00 8.134
7 University of Georgia Athens GA 8.225 0.10 0.00 8.125
8 Iowa State University Ames IA 8.248 0.15 0.00 8.098
9 Robert Morris University Moon Township PA 7.995 0.00 0.00 7.995
10 Austin Peay State University Clarksville TN 8.064 0.15 0.00 7.914
11 Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs NC 7.952 0.05 0.00 7.902
12 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill NC 8.120 0.25 0.00 7.870
13 Florida Competitive Cheerleading Gainsville FL 7.943 0.25 0.00 7.693
14 Saint Joseph's University Philadelphia PA 7.918 0.25 0.00 7.668
