Sports > April 17, 2008

By Connor Swarbrick | Asst. sports editor

Typically the seasons for the Deacon cheerleading and dance teams end when the basketball team loses their final game. But this year, that was not the case. The cheerleading and dance teams competed at the National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) / National Dance Association (NDA) Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship April 9-13 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

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The Deacon cheerleading squad performs at NCA collegiate competition April 10 in Daytona Beach, Fla. They Deacs finished sixth out of 16 teams. (Photo courtesy of Laura Waggoner)

This is the first time the teams competed at a NCA event, which is a competition geared towards a more entertaining style of performance and it is their first time on the national stage in four years.

“We decided to compete this year because we have a very talented team,” said junior Matt Greene, a member of the Wake cheerleading team.

“In the eyes of many people on the team and the coaches, this is the best team that Wake has had in a very long time.”

The teams have been practicing for months in addition to regularly scheduled football, basketball and community appearances.

After a dress rehearsal April 6 in front of family and friends and a final practice April 8 the Deacons boarded a bus at midnight to make the long drive down to Daytona Beach.

On April 10 at 9:15 a.m., the Deacon cheerleaders were on stage competing with 16 other teams in the Intermediate Coed division. While admitting there were a few bobbles and a missed stunt, they were pleased with their performance. The judges placed the Deacons in sixth place, and docked them for showmanship and dance.

“The majority of the routine went perfect and only a few slight errors were made,” Greene said. “However, the scores we received from the judges did not reflect my feelings and since it was our first time competing in this type of competition we had to add a few things to match up with the style of the NCA.”

After supporting the cheerleading team the Deacon Dancers competed and qualified for the Challenge Cup competition later that afternoon. When performing in the Challenge Cup their competition included several other ACC schools including Virginia Tech and Clemson. The Deacons placed 11th in the Challenge Cup.

“Our first performance was not our best. We didn’t dance like one unified team which led to a few bobbles, likely a result of nerves,” senior Laura Waggoner, a dance team member, said.

“Our second performance, however, was outstanding. We had so much fun dancing together and we all felt great about how we performed.”

The cheerleaders held a practice after their first performance to change the end of their routine in order to appease some of the judge’s comments.

“To improve our score we worked on the dance and ideas to improve our showmanship,” Greene said. “We changed half of the dance and added a few showy things into the routine which brought our score up tremendously.”

Despite increasing their overall score, they were unable to increase their standing. They finished sixth out of 16 teams.

“I think attending the NDA collegiate competition will be a wonderful thing for the team. I believe that it will entice more talented dancers to try out for the team,” Waggoner said.

“Also, attending a competition gives the team more drive. The football and basketball games are fun, but competing gives each dancer the chance to perform at a high level.”

This year’s cheerleading team is the first team in Wake Forest history to place in the top 10 at a national competition.

“I hope that by getting our name into the ranks it may heighten the interest of other students and possibly build an even stronger team in the future,” Greene said.