This past weekend King Cheer hit the road to Nationals at Cheersport held in Atlanta, GA. The Lady Tornado competed two days in the College Level 4 division against Widener University, University of North Carolina, University of Georgia, Brenau University, Polk State College, Savannah State University, and East TN State University.
After Day 1 of competition KU Cheer held 3rd place with a score of 71.78 and had the least amount of deductions out of the other teams. Day two began with less than a point separating 2nd place and 5th place. A fall on one side of the pyramid during the routine dropped the Tornado to a 5th place final finish, but were only .25 points behind 3rd place ETSU.
"It was a very close competition where King, Brenau, and ETSU all stood a chance for the top 3" said Coach King. "Had one side of our pyramid hit we would have remained in 3rd place" "King finishing 5th speaks volumes to be up against DI schools"
Coach King and her squad began working on their national's routine in October. They filled a two minute and thirty second routine with stunts, tumbling, pyramid, tosses, dance, and jumps. Judges score based on each element to determine the total score.
Not only did KU Cheer finish 5th in the nation, they came out on top in many other ways. The squad had the 2nd highest scores next to the University of Georgia in stunts, which carry the most weight in the scoring system. They also had the 2nd highest scores for pyramid, and carried very high scores for skill creativity, transitions, and overall performance.
"For not competing in a few years, I couldn't be more impressed with the outcome," said Coach King. "Our goal was to do our very best by maximizing and executing all the skills we were capable of doing, and we did just that. The team represented King very well with great sportsmanship."
"The girls walked into one of the biggest stages for competitive cheerleading knowing their success was not defined by a trophy, but by their hard work, dedication, and love for what they do," said Coach King. "They are a great group of girls who understand what competition is really about."
KU Cheer will take the mat again at CANAM Nationals in Myrtle Beach, SC on March 15. The final competition will be held at Limestone College at Clash of the Carolinas Cheerleading Championship March 24.
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Cheersport Nationals Final Results
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Position
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Team
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Score
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1
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University of Georgia (All Girl RED)
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75.39
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2
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University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
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72.78
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3
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East Tennessee State University
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72.17
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4
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Brenau Cheerleading
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71.96
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5
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King University
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71.92
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6
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Widener University
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70.98
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7
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Polk State College
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68.36
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8
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Savannah State University
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68.01
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