University of Massachusets Athletics
Cheerleading To Nationals
Cheerleading To Nationals
by Matthew Bencal
The Maroon & White
AMHERST, Mass. - Every now and then, a University of Massachusetts team finds itself in the national spotlight, competing for an ever-prestigious national championship. Whether its softball, football, or field hockey, UMass athletics boasts of some of the most distinguished players, coaches and teams in the country. Get ready to add the UMass cheerleading program to that championship list.
The College National Championship on April 4-5, in Daytona Beach, Fla., will separate the pretenders from the contenders in collegiate cheerleading. And UMass intends to prove that it is undoubtedly one of the nation's top teams.
The cheerleading program is broken down into two teams, the female and the co-ed squad. Although each is talented in its own right, the female squad is the more experienced and more proven of the two. That UMass squad could quite possibly be the top all-women's squad in the Northeast, but that team doesn't concern itself with being the best only in New England. At nationals, the Minutewomen will be fighting for the top spot in the entire country.
After finishing in sixth place at last year's college championships, the Minutewomen and co-ed UMass team will fly down to Daytona Beach on April 3, in pursuit of a top finish against the nation's elite cheering squads. And if last August's No. 1 finish for the women's squad in the Northeast Regional College Camp at UMass is any indication of how the team will finish, the Minutewomen have an exciting Championship to look forward to.
After conquering primarily Atlantic 10 rivals such as Temple, LaSalle and St. Joseph's last summer, UMass has trained hard from September to the first weekend of April to hone its skills in hopes of a flawless program come April 3. There was no Thanksgiving break, and there was only a short Christmas layoff before practice resumed. The road to success has been trying and draining. Not only do the Minutewomen need a flawless showing to win the event, they also need a strong finish to even qualify for the finals. With most Division I schools sending teams, only the strongest seven programs will survive the preliminary round to reach the finals.
"We've been working on this for months," head coach Kevin Thompson said. "Everything we do during the year is geared for Nationals. It's two minutes and 15 seconds, so you have to think about how much stuff you can pack into a media timeout at a basketball game."
The women's team, which boasts a strong combination of experience and youth, has set high expectations for itself. If their nerve-racking 2:15 of fame proves to be perfect, they can expect a high finish, depending on how competitors score. But one small mistake is all it takes to drop quickly in the standings - UMass knows that feeling all too well.
"Anything can happen," Thompson said. "Last year with the girls we finished sixth and we had a big fall. It only takes one [fall] to knock you out."
With the women's new and challenging routine, a championship showing is realistic. But in order for the Minutewomen to attain the highest honor in collegiate championships, it must prove to be precise in its pressure-filled performance.
"If they hit everything [they can win it]," said Thompson. "We lack a little bit in our tumbling skills in comparison to team we'll be seeing down there like Oklahoma, the University of Louisville and Florida State. But we've beaten Florida State before. Although we haven't beaten Oklahoma or Louisville before, we know they're beatable."
In order to succeed with the challenging routine that Thompson has designed for his cheerleaders, Thompson had to design a routine that was not only realistically achievable for his cheerleaders, but would impress the judges as well. Thompson is heading down to Daytona Beach with a routine that will push the limits of his cheerleader's abilities to the point of being downright dangerous.
"These girls are really gutsy to do the things they do," said Thompson. "To be thrown up 15 or 20 feet in the air and flip in six different directions-you have to be really talented or have a screw loose to do that."
The co-ed team, despite showcasing an unparalleled amount of youth and inexperience, heads into the championship with nothing to lose. Out of its nine girls, eight are freshmen and one is a sophomore. The men range between lack of experience and age, but altogether, the team has displayed an uncanny amount of dedication and ambition, with 6 a.m. runs being the norm in order to achieve and sustain top physical shape.
Last year, the co-ed squad established itself as a quiet but dangerous contender, and looks to improve upon its best finish ever with another strong showing this season.
"We finished sixth," said Thompson. "We had two drops in the finals, and that bumped us two spots. But it was still the best finish they've ever had. It's really hard to tell how we're going to do because anything can happen on the mat. There's no room for error."
Angela Zagami, the oldest female cheerleader at age 19, believes that the squad's hard work ethic and fresh outlook are two important factors that could propel the team to new heights this April.
"We came in sixth last year, so we are really aiming for a repeat of that performance or an improvement," said Zagami. "It's basically a whole new team and we've worked so hard and we've come a long way since the summer. We're looking to go down to [Daytona Beach] and do well."
One of the challenges that Thompson endured during his eighth year as head coach is the overwhelming amount of youth listed on his roster. Although new faces and new attitudes are always refreshing, they force Thompson to re-think strategies and routines that have worked in the past with older squads. In the end, Thompson expects to remember this team as a success, despite whatever happens at nationals.
"I've never started with such a young team before," Thompson said. "This is a rebuilding year. If we can pull off what we've been able to accomplish at some games recently, we should be all right. We only lose two guys at the end of the year, so that gives up two guys to come back with. In the worst case, we have a mediocre nationals, but we'll come back with that much more motivation."
Both squads are devoted, working harder than ever, and dedicated to achieving new heights for UMass in the College National Championships. The cheerleaders pay their own way to the tournament, and expect to have a lot of worthwhile memories when they fly home on April 8.
"They love to compete, and for a lot of them, that's what they're here to do, just like any athlete," said Thompson.
When it's all said and done, regardless of what the final standings are, UMass fans can rest assured that this years two cheerleading squads gave it their all throughout the whole season.
"I know when I go down I'll be intimidated," said Zagami. "But we've worked very hard and we know if we do our routine, we'll be happy with what we do."
 | |
by Matthew Bencal
The Maroon & White
AMHERST, Mass. - Every now and then, a University of Massachusetts team finds itself in the national spotlight, competing for an ever-prestigious national championship. Whether its softball, football, or field hockey, UMass athletics boasts of some of the most distinguished players, coaches and teams in the country. Get ready to add the UMass cheerleading program to that championship list.
The College National Championship on April 4-5, in Daytona Beach, Fla., will separate the pretenders from the contenders in collegiate cheerleading. And UMass intends to prove that it is undoubtedly one of the nation's top teams.
The cheerleading program is broken down into two teams, the female and the co-ed squad. Although each is talented in its own right, the female squad is the more experienced and more proven of the two. That UMass squad could quite possibly be the top all-women's squad in the Northeast, but that team doesn't concern itself with being the best only in New England. At nationals, the Minutewomen will be fighting for the top spot in the entire country.
After finishing in sixth place at last year's college championships, the Minutewomen and co-ed UMass team will fly down to Daytona Beach on April 3, in pursuit of a top finish against the nation's elite cheering squads. And if last August's No. 1 finish for the women's squad in the Northeast Regional College Camp at UMass is any indication of how the team will finish, the Minutewomen have an exciting Championship to look forward to.
After conquering primarily Atlantic 10 rivals such as Temple, LaSalle and St. Joseph's last summer, UMass has trained hard from September to the first weekend of April to hone its skills in hopes of a flawless program come April 3. There was no Thanksgiving break, and there was only a short Christmas layoff before practice resumed. The road to success has been trying and draining. Not only do the Minutewomen need a flawless showing to win the event, they also need a strong finish to even qualify for the finals. With most Division I schools sending teams, only the strongest seven programs will survive the preliminary round to reach the finals.
"We've been working on this for months," head coach Kevin Thompson said. "Everything we do during the year is geared for Nationals. It's two minutes and 15 seconds, so you have to think about how much stuff you can pack into a media timeout at a basketball game."
The women's team, which boasts a strong combination of experience and youth, has set high expectations for itself. If their nerve-racking 2:15 of fame proves to be perfect, they can expect a high finish, depending on how competitors score. But one small mistake is all it takes to drop quickly in the standings - UMass knows that feeling all too well.
"Anything can happen," Thompson said. "Last year with the girls we finished sixth and we had a big fall. It only takes one [fall] to knock you out."
With the women's new and challenging routine, a championship showing is realistic. But in order for the Minutewomen to attain the highest honor in collegiate championships, it must prove to be precise in its pressure-filled performance.
"If they hit everything [they can win it]," said Thompson. "We lack a little bit in our tumbling skills in comparison to team we'll be seeing down there like Oklahoma, the University of Louisville and Florida State. But we've beaten Florida State before. Although we haven't beaten Oklahoma or Louisville before, we know they're beatable."
In order to succeed with the challenging routine that Thompson has designed for his cheerleaders, Thompson had to design a routine that was not only realistically achievable for his cheerleaders, but would impress the judges as well. Thompson is heading down to Daytona Beach with a routine that will push the limits of his cheerleader's abilities to the point of being downright dangerous.
"These girls are really gutsy to do the things they do," said Thompson. "To be thrown up 15 or 20 feet in the air and flip in six different directions-you have to be really talented or have a screw loose to do that."
The co-ed team, despite showcasing an unparalleled amount of youth and inexperience, heads into the championship with nothing to lose. Out of its nine girls, eight are freshmen and one is a sophomore. The men range between lack of experience and age, but altogether, the team has displayed an uncanny amount of dedication and ambition, with 6 a.m. runs being the norm in order to achieve and sustain top physical shape.
Last year, the co-ed squad established itself as a quiet but dangerous contender, and looks to improve upon its best finish ever with another strong showing this season.
"We finished sixth," said Thompson. "We had two drops in the finals, and that bumped us two spots. But it was still the best finish they've ever had. It's really hard to tell how we're going to do because anything can happen on the mat. There's no room for error."
Angela Zagami, the oldest female cheerleader at age 19, believes that the squad's hard work ethic and fresh outlook are two important factors that could propel the team to new heights this April.
"We came in sixth last year, so we are really aiming for a repeat of that performance or an improvement," said Zagami. "It's basically a whole new team and we've worked so hard and we've come a long way since the summer. We're looking to go down to [Daytona Beach] and do well."
One of the challenges that Thompson endured during his eighth year as head coach is the overwhelming amount of youth listed on his roster. Although new faces and new attitudes are always refreshing, they force Thompson to re-think strategies and routines that have worked in the past with older squads. In the end, Thompson expects to remember this team as a success, despite whatever happens at nationals.
"I've never started with such a young team before," Thompson said. "This is a rebuilding year. If we can pull off what we've been able to accomplish at some games recently, we should be all right. We only lose two guys at the end of the year, so that gives up two guys to come back with. In the worst case, we have a mediocre nationals, but we'll come back with that much more motivation."
Both squads are devoted, working harder than ever, and dedicated to achieving new heights for UMass in the College National Championships. The cheerleaders pay their own way to the tournament, and expect to have a lot of worthwhile memories when they fly home on April 8.
"They love to compete, and for a lot of them, that's what they're here to do, just like any athlete," said Thompson.
When it's all said and done, regardless of what the final standings are, UMass fans can rest assured that this years two cheerleading squads gave it their all throughout the whole season.
"I know when I go down I'll be intimidated," said Zagami. "But we've worked very hard and we know if we do our routine, we'll be happy with what we do."