From Jan. 13 to 15, the ETSU dance and cheer teams competed in the UCA/UDA National College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship located in Orlando, Florida. The teams competed against other league schools and scored big, including a successful game day as the dance team made finals for the first time in ETSU history.
The UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship has been the pinnacle of the season for participants for 35 years and counting. Dance team senior Kentley Nelson has been competing since she has been enrolled at ETSU, making this the fourth UDA national she has attended.
“This is one of the biggest dance and cheer competitions in the nation and it brings all the colleges around with the best dancers and cheerleaders from each school,” Nelson said. “It gives everyone an opportunity to showcase their schools’ dance and cheer team to compete for the top spots in the nation.”
Having attended prior UDA Championships, Nelson mentioned how the battle only gets tougher with each national. As each year passes, the bar only continues to rise.
“Every year gets more and more competitive as every team always brings their all with the best dancers around,” Nelson said.
The team has been competing in Orlando, Florida. for 13 years for the annual championship. Nelson mentioned that each year the ESPN World Wide of Sports Complex, where the competition is held, is still an experience like no other.
“We have competed in the UDA nationals every year since I have been on the team and we have only gotten better and continued to make history,” Nelson said. “This past week, the dance team made finals in the game day competition for the first time in history.”
For more information, visit the UCA/UDA website at https://www.espnwwos.com/sports/cheer/. For details on the ETSU Dance and Cheer team, visit https://www.etsu.edu/cas/creative-arts-scholarship/areas-of-study/cheerleading-dance.php.
