Sports Editor
In just its second year of attending the Universal Cheer Association Nationals, the Colorado Mesa University cheer squad qualified for the finals and took fourth place, besting its fifth-place finish of last year.
Being a relatively unknown program in the world of cheer, finishing fourth at a national competition was a big deal for the Maverick cheer squad.
“It means a lot placing fourth in the nation to our team, as we are competing against schools from all over the country and putting CMU on that top five list is amazing,” said Heidi Colton. “We love representing our school and getting our name out there and being top four does that for you on a cheer team.”
Finishing fourth in the nation is impressive for any sport, and being one of the best is not easy. The squad practiced six days a week over winter break for three hours in preparation for the event in Florida, sacrificing family and vacation time.
“Aside from formal practice, we met up for extra private stunt group practices or tumbling practices. For a lot of us, it was difficult to stay in Grand Junction for break, but in the end it was all worth it,” said Cayli Meyers.
Entering any athletic competition, teams work and strive for first place, and the basic goal most teams aspire to is constant improvement. After finishing better than their previous UCA Nationals appearance, the squad accomplished that goal.
“After making it to finals, placing fifth and surprising a lot of people, our goal this year was just to do better,” said Chris Nelson. “No one really knows who or where CMU is, and we all dreamed about first place but our immediate vision was making it to finals and doing better than the previous year.”
Colton, Meyers and Nelson said they couldn’t have had their success without the tight-nip group they had, including the leadership of coach Athena Whaley. The team developed a creed that they would say before any practice or event, including vows about being committed to the sport and to each other.
“We always talked about taking a leap of faith for our team, coaches, and family,” said Meyers.
Before the team’s performance, Whaley reminded the team of how far they had come.
“Coach [Whaley] pretty much talked about the journey that we took to get where we are, how hard we trained, the adversity that we rose from within our separate lives and within the team,” said Nelson. “She inspired us to dig down and show what we have been working on with the confidence that cheerleaders should have.”
The members of the team refer to themselves as a real family, making them stand out from many other teams.
“Finishing in the top four in the nation was a great way to end my collegiate cheer career,” said Nelson. “We worked hard for our recognition each and every year I have cheered at CMU and it has definitely paid off.”
scschroc@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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