The UF all-girl competitive cheerleading club shared nervous glances and sighs of relief Sunday night.
The team of 20 hugged and cheered when a voice announced their national victory in their College 4 division at Cheersport Nationals in Atlanta.
Their win came after hours of practice each week, and it brought the team one step closer to winning the National Cheerleading Association’s Collegiate National Championship.
The championship will be held April 6 in Daytona Beach.
Kaitlyn Mamak, a 21-year-old UF health science junior and third-year team member, said the team won by two points.
“When we found out we won, it was such a great reassurance that we have the talent we need to actually win Nationals,” said Mamak.
During Sunday’s event, the women competed against nine other universities, including rival school Florida State University.
Glitter-filled sweat ran down the Gator Logo on the face of each woman from Saturday to Sunday. Five months of preparation came into play in exactly two minutes and 30 seconds.
“We really wanted to get out there and perform in front of a huge crowd, against other well-known college programs before NCA, and this was the perfect place to do it,” said Liza Herth, a 22-year-old UF marketing senior and the squad’s president.
After learning the routine in October, the team received a bid to the National Cheerleaders Association Nationals and trained every week.
In 2014, the team won fifth place, and in 2015, it brought home a third place trophy.
Now, in the midst of the last competition, the UF All Girl Cheerleading club is adding more practices and refining its strategy.
“We had to water our routine down for Cheersport,” said Xiomara Leonard, a 20-year-old UF applied physiology and kinesiology junior and the squad’s vice president, “but we are so excited for our nationals routine and can’t wait to represent the Gator Nation.”
