Eagles’ Spirit Squad gears up for Competition

Sam Hall

sports writer

Continuing to prepare for the United Spirit Association National Competition on Feb. 22-25, the Utah State University Eastern dance and cheer teams have been busy with school work, practices, fundraisers, events and guest performances. But it doesn’t stop there. The squad has two busy weeks filled with excitement right before their national send-off on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in the BDAC.

With practices basically everyday, classes and work, you would think that these Eagles are like every other athletic student; busy. But, what you don’t know is that we put in more time than you realize. They are at every sporting event cheering the teams on, aside from studying and attending school events.

The teams practice tricks and technique that they don’t have time to perfect in practice. They are studying to pass an exam and trying to have fun with all of their friends. The squads strive to be its best, just like the rest of student athletes.

The Spirit Squad has exciting events and fund- raisers that help prepare for their trip to Anaheim, California, where they will compete at nationals.

The dance team has been busy with guest performances, fundraisers, team bonding events, games and practice. The Eagles performed at Fan Appreciation Night and Utah State Drill competition at Utah Valley University in front of thousands of people. For the performance, they showcased their national hip-hop routine “Manolo.” After the performances, fans were excited to see if the Eagles could bring home a back- to-back National Championship.

The dance and cheer teams held several fundraisers, which help them get to the competition. The dance team held a mini-competition prep, where dancers, studios and teams were able to come and perform their routine and get feedback from judges before

they enter the competition season. The cheer team held a daddy-daughter ball, which consisted of a date night for the pair and fun dancing and excitement. Both fundraisers were a success and will help the Eagles go to nationals and showcase their routines.

The preparation for the USA National Competition is stressful for the dancers and cheerleaders because we, like all of you, want to bring home a trophy and to compete at our best.

During preparation for nationals, the spirit squad has spent countless hours practicing two routines and going through every count, trick and movement to make sure that each team member is doing the same arm, leg, head and even small details like where hands or fingers are placed. Perfection is key with every single thing that we do on the floor. Practice makes perfection and we strive to make both our jazz routine and hip-hop routine perfect.

The team also has practiced for countless hours and have had a few complications with their routines

but are striving to make them perfect for nationals. With tumbling passes, pyramids and dance moves, we work on perfecting each move so that we have no complications during our performances. With a few injuries and the struggle of returning to the mat or floor both teams are working to make each member safe in practice by working on mats and by having spotters during lifts. Both teams are working to bring home a national championship and, with hard work and perseverance, we hope that we can achieve these titles.

Even though there isn’t a category at nationals for a drum line, we are proud to have them as members of the spirit squad and enjoy their talent. The drum line showcased a masterpiece of beats and rhythm during Fan Appreciation, being perfectly in sync with one another, as they brought excitement to the fans.

We are one; we support our teammates, fans, colleagues, administration and other teams. We would appreciate it if you would bring your friends, colleagues and family to support us during our national