MEMPHIS - The University of Hawai'i cheerleading team earned first place in the Universal Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Championships Western Regional national qualifier. 

 

Collegiate teams from across the country submit qualification videos which are judged to determine the regional rankings. Teams must perform a cheer, followed by a skills exhibition. Hawai'i was chosen in first place over Washington, Texas, and UTEP (Click here to view full listing of qualifying teams.) 

 

“We're really proud of this year's video, it is the best qualification tape that we've done in probably four years,” says head coach Mike Baker. “The tape had to be 50% traditional cheer with the other 50% focused on skills. This year, we spent more time and challenged ourselves to improve our traditional cheer portion of the tape by putting in more difficulty into our routine. The team came through and nailed it.”

 

“Last year's team was really young, so we mainly tried to focus on our fundamentals to lay a solid foundation. This year, we're truly building on that foundation and with only two people graduating this year, the future is very, very bright for our program. Right now we are a very disciplined squad that is working hard to keep improving every day.”

The first-place ranking gives the team a full paid bid to the National Championships and advances Hawai`i straight into the finals. The championship will be held from January 14-16, 2011 in Orlando, Fla. at Disneyworld. The competition will be shown on ESPN numerous times beginning in February 2011. The paid bid covers airfare within the continental United States (Los Angeles to Orlando), hotel accommodations, ground transportation, entry fees and four-day park passes. 


                                                                                                                                  -UH-