The much anticipated prelims day is here! The team met at 12:00 p.m. to prepare for warm-ups. The competition started at 8:00 a.m., so some of the team ventured to the Ocean Center to watch other teams and see the performance venue. Once the team came together at noon they were pumped and ready to take on the competition. The team walked over to the Ocean Center, to await their turn for warm-ups. Today they had eight minutes to stretch, eight minutes to stunt and tumble, and eight minutes on a full floor for anything else. They sailed through warm-ups confidently.
The team then walked across the Ocean Center to the competition staging area. At this time team captain, Kiera Boyle, surprised the team with a thoughtful gesture and introduced a new team tradition. It was very thoughtful and special to the team. At 1:24 p.m. it was EC Cheer's turn to take the mat.
The team begins by standing behind the mat, and once their name is called they have to perform their crowd involvement cheer for 45 seconds. The girls were energetic, loud and confident throughout the entire cheer. Once that was done they had thirty seconds to clear the floor of their signs, poms, flags, and megaphones, and be set for their actual routine. During this time, one of the girls accidentally stepped off the mat, resulting in a .5 point deduction. This, however, had no effect on their performance. The music came on and the routine started strong: tight motions, a perfect cartwheel full, and four solid full up immediate stretches. The toe-touch back handspring, back handspring falls/layouts had some issues that resulted in a .5 point deduction. The jump to standing tuck timing was excellent but the landings could have been improved. The basket toss section was executed beautifully. The running tumbling section was flawless, including timing for synchronized passes. The five full up stunts were great. There was one fall in the switch up stunts, but the other four were solid. The first part of the pyramid section had no issues. The second structure had a misplaced foot that led to half of the pyramid coming down early. Between the stunt falls and the pyramid fall, that accumulated another two points in deductions. The girls were shaken from the mishap in the pyramid and were slightly off at the beginning of their dance, but it did not result in any direct deductions.
The division continued and scores started coming in. The results for the entire division are as follows:
1. Bridgewater State University: 92.78
2. Montclair University: 91.88
3. Elmira College: 85.70
4. Endicott College: 84.85
5. SUNY Cortland: 84.7
6. Framingham 84.35
7. Stevenson College 83.63
8. Widener University 82.7
9. Buffalo State College: 81.03
10. Curry College: 80.13
12. Ithaca College: 62.4
Once the score sheets were released it was learned that EC Cheer incurred an additional five point deduction for a safety violation in their pyramid. The front spotters were unable to make it to the front of the second structure fast enough. Bridgewater, who was originally in second place, received a safety deduction that was overturned because the safety judges did not see their spotters positioned correctly. Montclair hit a solid routine but lacked the difficulty that both Elmira College and Bridgewater were able to put out. EC Cheer will tweak their pyramid to assure that there are no safety deductions at finals tomorrow.
EC Cheer got a perfect score on their 45 second crowd cheer, the only score that carries over to tomorrow. Each floor routine score starts from a clean slate. Today's placements determined tomorrow order of appearance. In third place, Elmira will perform third to last, followed by only Montclair and Bridgewater.
The team met after the results were announced to work on their pyramid. It was an easy fix. Their pyramid section is now more stable and clear of any potential for safety violations. The girls have one more team activity tonight before they meet to compete in tomorrow’s finals. EC Cheer will compete outside on the Bandshell tomorrow April, 10th.
The anticipation is over...Nationals is finally here! EC Cheer ran a full week of practices last week finalizing and fine tuning their routine and 45 second cheer. This included a special "war" practice on Friday as "war" has become a team theme for the season. After months of tweaking, the pyramid section is complete and strong. The girls finished their week of practicing with a show off performance of their routine in Speidel Gymnasium at Elmira College. Friends, families, faculty and staff were able to come watched girls perform. This is special because it is a "send-off" to Nationals and allows people who generally don't see the team show off their skills.
Because Nationals is the same week as finals week at EC, many of the girls had been rushing around all day taking finals early, doing presentations, and handing in papers. Regardless, they were excited. The school performance was not one of team’s strongest performances. Two stunts fell, a basket toss struggled to land in the cradle position, and there was two tumbling touch outs. Even though this run through had mistakes, the routine was still very strong and included the updated pyramid section which was flawless. This show off was great practice for the team. They spent some time afterwards cleaning up their mistake and then headed home to prepare to leave!
It's prelims day! Today is the first round of competition for EC Cheer! The All-Girl III division does not start until 1:00 p.m. so the girls have a laid back morning. They will meet at 12:00 p.m. to prepare for their 1:24 p.m. competition time. There are 12 teams in their division. Teams include: Buffalo State College, Bridgewater State University, Montclair State University, SUNY Cortland, Widener University, Ithaca College, Endicott College, Curry College, Framingham State University, Stevenson University, and New York University. The All-Girl III preliminary division will run until almost 3:00 p.m. Scores will be announced 15-20 minutes after each team competes and division rankings and the Finals performance order will be announced later in the afternoon. The team is excited and confident to finally show off their hard work and talent today and prelims!
The team was able to relax in the morning and didn't meet until 1:30 p.m. They were able to have a 45 minute practice in the warm-up venue. This included 15 minutes of stretching, 15 minutes on a small mat for stunts and tumbling, and 15 minutes on a full sized floor to run through the routine. The practice went extremely well. The skills were solid and the team looked confident. Once practice inside was complete, the team moved across the street to a grassy area near the Bandshell, right next to the beach. They practiced their stunts and pyramids outside to simulate what it will feel like on Friday, when they compete outside on the Bandshell. Family, friends and fans were able to attend this portion of practice and show their support for EC Cheer. Following this practice, the team followed tradition and moved down to the beach to take team pictures. It was a great day of practice.
Wednesday evening, the team and their families gathered at the Hilton Hotel for another tradition, a family dinner and celebration of the season. It was a wonderful event that included dinner, a slideshow of the year and a surprise end of the year gift for the girls! After dinner the team headed back to rest and prepare for the competition.
EC Cheer met and departed Elmira College at 1:00 p.m. The first leg of their journey was a two and a half hour bus ride to the Buffalo Niagara Airport. Their flight did not leave until almost 6:00 p.m. and landed in Orlando at 9:10 p.m. Once they arrived in Orlando they still had a one and half hour bus ride into Daytona Beach. By the time the team got to the hotel, got checked in and settled, it was midnight. The girls spent the night relaxing and preparing for the next day.
nd clean motions that led right into a very strong set of opening stunts. The standing jump to tumbling section was executed very well. There was one uncharacteristic mistake in the jump to standing back section. The basket tosses were completed well, with a definite improvement on timing. The running tumbling section was competed very well. The more difficult 2-1-1 pyramid hit flawlessly, despite the flyer having a cast on her hand. The entire second stunt sequence looked the best it has ever looked in competition. Moving into the pyramid section there was a minor mistake in a transitional stunt that resulted in a deduction and offset the timing building into the first structure. The first pyramid itself was completed very well, a huge improvement from last week. The second structure was built well, but one top girl was off balance and dismounted early. The overall dismount from the pyramid was shaky due to some timing issues and will need to be cleaned up before the next performance. As always, the routine finished with strong energy and excitement with the dance. Overall, the major skills in the routine have never looked better. The pyramid section and other smaller details were the only cause for concern in this performance.
The competition finished and the teams gathered on the floor to await the results. This competition did not announce scores during awards, only places. Second place in the Level 6 College division went to Geneseo. First place went to Elmira College! Upon receiving the score sheets following awards, it was learned that EC Cheer had earned a score of 84.99 out of 100. This included 1.25 in deductions from the routine's various mistakes. Even with the mistakes in the routine this was the strongest performance in terms of overall skill execution, timing, and energy that the team has put out this year.
There is still plenty of work to be done in the nine days leading up to NCA Nationals. The pyramid section needs an updated transition and to become more consistent. The team needs to work on the 45 second crowd involvement cheer to be competed in the preliminary completion at Nationals. The team is currently in a good position, needing just to polish the overall effect of the routine. The team's next performance will be a final "show off" performance on the Elmira College campus on
Monday, April 7th, before the team departs for Nationals on
April 8th.
Nationals will be a five day venture, with the National Champions being crowned on
Friday, April 11th. To keep up with all of the excitement be sure to like our Facebook page, Elmira College Cheerleading, and follow us on Instagram and Twitter, @elmiracheer!
EC Cheer Blog - March 22, 2014 Today was a very eventful day for EC Cheer! The girls were able to get a solid night of rest last night in the hotel. They woke up this morning to meet for breakfast and then had a few hours to relax and get ready for the competition. The team checked out at
noon and headed to South Kingston, where Chelsea Chimblo's family was hosting a lunch for the team at their home. The team ate a delicious meal in a beautiful and comfortable home while overlooking a gorgeous view of the Atlantic Ocean. After lunch the team got back on the bus. With extra time spare the bus driver took an intentional wrong turn and pit stopped right on the beach. The team filed out of the bus to snap a few pictures and take in the view. This was especially meaningful because the ocean is symbolic of finals at NCA Nationals on Daytona Beach, where EC Cheer will be in 20 short days.
The team arrived at the competition venue about an hour before they needed to warm-up. The team finished getting ready and had a chance to get acclimated with their surroundings. At this competition there were four warm-up stations, each only four minutes long. In order to maximize the 16 minutes on the warm-up mats the team stretched out prior to their timed warm-up. They eased through all of the stations, executing all of their skills confidently. There were other college teams around them, some warming up their skills, others just watching to see what Elmira College was going to put out on the mat. Regardless of who was around the girls stayed focused on their task, putting out the best possible routine they could.
Curry College and Worchester College had both competed by the time Elmira College took the mat. EC Cheer opened their routine with their four full-up heel stretches that stayed in the air, but had slight timing issues. The standing tumbling section had one touch down, but later on it would be learned that the judges missed the mistake and the team faced no deduction for it. The basket toss section was the strongest it had ever looked in competition and that carried right over into the running tumbling section. The 2-1-1 pyramid had been upgraded from the last competition and was executed very confidently. The second set of stunts all hit, although there were minor timing and forms errors that need to be corrected for the future. The team put out a strong routine but lost some of their energy moving into the newly refined pyramid section. One mistake is the second part of the sequence led to a fall. This type of mistake was not detrimental in this caliber of competition, but could have had a devastating effect at Nationals. The girls recovered and finished their routine with their strong dance skills. Framingham State College was the last team in the competition to compete. They opened with strong stunts but lacked the difficultly in tumbling and basket tosses that EC Cheer has.
Awards started not long after Framingham competed. Fourth place in All-Girl Division III went to Worchester College with a score of 6.075 out of a possible 10. In third place was Framingham State College with a 6.606. Second place, scoring a 6.988, was Curry College. That meant that the All-Girl Division III champion was Elmira College! The team scored a 7.706. The announcer moved through the awards for the other divisions. There was no announcement of a college high score, as was expected. All of the college scores were listed in the scoring packets. Bryant University, an All-Girl Division I school, posted the highest score outside of our division, with a 7.45. This means that Elmira College was the highest scoring collegiate team! They outscored three All-Girl Division I teams and three coed teams!
EC Cheer put out a dominant performance at the Advanced Spirit East Coast Championship. It was another great confidence booster for EC Cheer. Two weeks out from Nationals the team still has plenty of work to do to clean up the minor mistakes that have happened throughout their routine. On the regional level their performances have been strong enough to beat their competitors even with mistakes. At Nationals the competition will be more intense and the same small mistakes could likely cost the team a national championship. The biggest challenge facing the team is gaining the confidence to flawlessly execute their pyramid section while maintaining a high level of energy and excitement. The team is in a very good place for this time in the season. Their skills are becoming more consistent, their confidence is building, but there is still room for improvement. This should keep the team focused and motivated for the next two weeks.
EC Cheer will compete next weekend at the Spirit Unlimited competition in Albany, NY. This will be their last regional competition before Nationals.
EC Cheer Blog - March 21, 2014 It's back into competition mode for EC Cheer! The team was off from competition last weekend but had a very busy and very productive two weeks leading up to this weekend's competition in Providence, Rhode Island.
Since their last competition on March 9th, EC Cheer has been back at practices working repetitions and conditioning to perfect their routine. The team was also able to add some significant upgrades to their routine that they are excited to perform this weekend. In addition to regular practices the girls have been busy with other events. There is no such thing as a "weekend off" during competition season! The girls took part in welcoming guests to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Luncheon at Elmira College, hosted a clinic for a local recreation cheer program, and have volunteered their time to help children learn to read at a nearby elementary school.
The team also spent time putting together their 45-second crowd involvement cheer for NCA Nationals. This is a mandatory aspect of the preliminary competition required at NCA Nationals. The girls use signs, poms, and flags in addition to their stunts and tumbling to put together a cheer aimed at getting the crowd at a large sporting event engaged. This is only performed during prelims at Nationals, and the only part of the preliminary competition score that carries over to finals, so it is very important that it is done well. Also, to prepare for the preliminary competition the team decided they wanted to add an early morning six a.m. practice to their schedule. The Division III All-Girl Division is usually the first division to compete at prelims, making their performance as early as 7:30 a.m., depending on the performance order. This year there has been a focus on getting the team as prepared as possible by putting them in as many situations that will somewhat simulate Nationals as much as possible. The girls did not complain and were able to put in a solid practice, reminding themselves that "the work is worth it."
EC Cheer is ready for another big weekend! This afternoon they will depart Elmira College for Providence, Rhode Island for the Advanced Spirit East Coast Classic competition. This is only a one day competition, slightly different then the competitions they have been to prior this year. This means that EC Cheer gets to perform one time and their score will count 100% towards to outcome of the competition. So far this season that team has routinely been able to put out a solid performance on the first day of their competitions and have much improvement the second day. This style of competition puts a unique pressure of only getting once chance to put out the best routine possible.
This competition is also important because this is the first time this year that EC Cheer will compete against other Division III All-Girl teams that will be at NCA Nationals in a few weeks. There are three other teams competing against EC Cheer this weekend. EC Cheer will compete against Worcester State University, Framingham State University and Curry College. Worcester State will not be at NCA College Nationals while Framingham State and Curry will both compete against EC Cheer for a Nationals Championship next month. This is exciting because other teams in the DIII All-Girl division will finally get to see the hard work and progress EC Cheer has made since Nationals last year and NCA Camp this past summer.
EC Cheer is not only competing for a Division III All-Girl title this weekend, but there is also a "Level Champion" award. This award goes to the team with the highest score in their level. The East Coast Classic also has Division I All-Girl with Sacred Heart University, Boston University, and Bryant University, as well as a co-ed division with Westfield University, Roger Williams University, and Fitchburg State University. This should make for an exciting competition! EC Cheer is leaving this afternoon to avoid a six hour bus ride on competition day. They will compete tomorrow evening at 6:34 p.m.
EC Cheer Blog – March 9, 2014 Today EC Cheer had the luxury of only having to travel down the street to their competition. The ICE Jam Meltdown was held at the First Arena right in downtown Elmira, hosted by a local all-star program, Intensity Cheer Elite. This was a new competition for EC Cheer, so it was a new experience for all of the girls.
Today's competition was a quick turnaround from the competition last night, as the girls did not arrive back to campus until 12:30 a.m. and lost an hour due to daylight savings time. The team met at the arena at 11:30 a.m. and sat in the crowd to get a feel for the venue. From our seats we could see that warm-ups were, yet again, something to adapt to. At this competition there were three warm-up stations including two small mats and one large mat. None of the warm-up floors were spring floors, which was what the competition floor would be. The significance of this is that the girls would not be able to warm-up their tumbling skills on a floor with a similar feel to the competition floor and would have to make the necessary timing adjustments as they competed. These girls are experienced in transitioning from dead floor to spring floor so this was an inconvenience but not a problem. Because of the laid back nature of the competition the girls were not rushed through their warm-up and had plenty of time to work through their skills, including running through the pyramid section twice to overcome the issues from last night.
This competition was special because many if the girl’s families and friends were able to come support the team, many seeing the routine live for the first time this year. This can prove to be exciting and more nerve racking for the girls. The girls came together before they competed, as they traditionally do, determined to make this performance better than the one for last night.
As the girls took the floor many cheerleaders from local teams gathered around the mat, cheering loudly, eager to watch EC Cheer, a team they look up to. The music began and the girls performed their opening motions and moved into the first stunts. All of the heel stretches hit, although one swayed in the air and was unable to execute the specialty dismount. The standing tumbling section was strong. The spring floor timing led to one touch down, a minor deduction. The jump section was executed very well. The basket tosses were again very high and impressive, leaving room for improvement on the cleanliness of the cradle catches. The running tumbling section was also very strong again today. The timing has become consistent and sharp. The second stunt sequence was much improved today. The fullups were solid and confident and the scorpions, scales and double downs were as good as could be expected. The pyramid was successfully executed on both sides today. The girls performed the dance and the crowd cheered with excitement. This was a much better performance than yesterday.
Because this was a smaller competition geared toward younger teams there was plenty of time after the performance before awards. There was a jump competition, a tumbling competition, a stunt strength competition, and a coach’s game while we waited for awards. The younger kids had a blast getting involved and dancing on the competition floor.
When it was finally time for awards EC Cheer was recognized for the strong performance they had. They were the only team in the Open Level 6 division, leading to a first place finish. The team was also awarded the "Judge's Choice" special award. This award was chosen by the judges for a routine with a great effect that left a lasting impression in their minds. The last award to be given out was the All-Star Grand Champion award. This goes to the team competing in an All-Star division with the largest overall score. This includes all age groups and levels. The Grand Champion award went to the Open Level 6 team from Elmira College! Although we have yet to receive our score sheets we know that even with two minor mistakes our score should be much higher than last night.
From rallying after a disappointing performance last night to put out a strong routine today, to having to deal with undesirable warm-up areas, a short turnaround time from one competition to the other and having a large group of family and friends to support the program, This was another weekend of great experiences for EC Cheer. The team has two weeks until their next competition. This leaves plenty of time to get back to basics, focus on reworking some parts of the routine and fixing smaller details throughout the routine. It will provide for a necessary break before the final push to Nationals!
Jamfest Cheerleading Competition
Today the EC Cheerleaders traveled to Syracuse, NY for the Jamfest cheerleading competition. Each competition is extremely different in terms of timing, setup and atmosphere. These girls have a very limited amount of time to adapt to their new surroundings before they have to perform their jam-packed routine in front of a crowd.
Today the team did not compete until
7:49 p.m., much later than any of their previous competitions. This means that the girls had a majority of the day to themselves. They met in the Campus Center Dining Hall for a team meal at
4:15 p.m. before they left for Syracuse at
4:45 p.m. It was definitely a difference approaching the Oncenter Arena in Syracuse with it already being dark outside. The girls moved into the arena where they got prepared for the competition. They did not have a lot of time before they began warm-ups. At this competition warm-ups posed a unique challenge. The warm-up room was small, poorly lit, crowded, and only had three warm-up stations. Other competitions have offered four or five stations and a total of 28-36 minutes of total warm-up time and today the girls only had 18 minutes total. Regardless, the team went through their warm-ups successfully executing all of their skills in the allotted amount of time.
Jamfest is an extremely popular local competition and an important competition for EC Cheer. There are multiple EC athletes from Syracuse and surrounding areas. There are also many gyms that the coaches and athletes are acquainted with that look forward to getting to see Elmira College compete each year. This includes many current and future recruits for the program. The opportunity for EC Cheer to perform in front of younger programs at competitions like this has proven to be a valuable recruiting tool. In addition to that, many of the girl's families and friends were able to travel to the Oncenter to support EC Cheer. Lastly, this is the last weekend that the girls will compete two days in a row until
four weeks from now at NCA Collegiate Nationals.
The girls entered the performance stage and set to begin their routine. The opening stunts were solid. The standing tumbling, opening basket toss and jump section were all hit, resulting in no deductions. The skills in the basket tosses were performed with great height. The momentum built as the girls moved into the running tumbling section. Both the timing of synchronized passes and execution of difficult passes were improved from previous performances. The 2-1-1 pyramid was not as strong as it could have been, but still stayed in the air and did not result in a deduction. The second stunt sequence opens with five full-up stunts. Today, two stunts came down early, which was a fluke and is very uncharacteristic of this team. Both groups were able to recover and pick up the sequence and finish with the rest of the groups. There were changes made to the structure of the pyramid in the past week to create more unison and effect. Unfortunately, one side faced some technique issues that resulted in a two-point deduction. The team moved forward and finished their routine with the dance. This was definitely not the performance the team expected or hoped for, as they had a total of 3.5 points in deductions. Up until the second stunt sequence the routine was overall the best the team had ever performed. There were four other teams in the College All-Girl Division so they would have to wait and see how their performance held up against the others.
The other teams in the division included Brock University, Brockport University, Jefferson Community College and Oneonta State University. These teams offered a variation in skill level and ability. With the mistakes in their routine, EC Cheer could have opened the door for another team to take the title. Awards did not begin until
9:45 p.m. In fifth place, with a 65.35, was Jefferson County Community College. Fourth place went to Oneonta State University with a 76.88. In third place was the Brockport Golden Eagles. Then it came down to two teams. The girls sat on the stage, holding hands, waiting to see if their performance was enough to make them defending Jamfest champions. The announcer paused before he announced that second place was going to the Brock University Badgers with an 86.41. Elmira College had earned first place with an 87.53!
The results of this competition reflect the strength of the Elmira College routine. It is packed full of extremely difficult skills that the girls make look easy. Even with the mistakes they made their skills, energy and overall effect still put them ahead of their competitors.
The weekend is not over for EC Cheer. They are heading back to campus tonight to rest for another competition
tomorrow morning. The girls will be competing at the ICE Jam Meltdown at the First Arena in Elmira at
12:50 p.m. tomorrow. Although this is a completely separate competition, this structure is another strategic setup that closely mimics Nationals. At Nationals the girls will compete in the Ocean Center Complex in Daytona Beach, FL for the preliminary competition and at a completely different venue, the Daytona Beach Bandshell, for finals the following day. Again, with the exception of their crowd involvement cheer score at Nationals, the girls start with a clean slate on day-two. EC Cheer is looking at
tomorrow's competition as "finals." They are eager to get back on the mat to prove to their fans, coaches and most importantly, themselves, that they can hit their entire routine.
American Majestic Cheerleading ChampionshipMarch 2, 2014Today was day two of the American Majestic Cheerleading Championship. EC Cheer arrived back at the Buffalo Convention Center at 10:30 a.m. The competition was run very efficiently and the team moved right into the warm-up room for their
11:00 a.m. warm-up time. The team had great energy and attitudes as they moved through each warm-up rotation. The team was focused and able to apply the corrections they had gone over last night.
After day one, EC Cheer had a composite score of 98.40 out of 107 (91.96%). That score included 3.5 points in deductions from mistakes made in yesterday's performance. Despite the fact that there was no other team in their division this competition offered a unique and valuable experience. Just as it will be at NCA Collegiate Nationals, the team competed on day one and had the opportunity to improve on their performance for day two. At Nationals only the 45 second crowd cheer (that counts for 10% of the overall score) carries over to the second day. That means that each team goes into finals will a virtually clean slate. This is the closest resemblance to that finals performance, so it is extremely beneficial. EC Cheer would only be competing against one competitor, themselves. At this point they had not hit their entire routine, which is a huge landmark, so that was the ultimate goal for today's performance.
As the girls waited in the holding area they faced a minor delay as a problem was being taken care of on the mat. After a few extra minutes the team took the floor. As their music started there was a malfunction and it stopped and needed to be restarted. These mishaps could have created problematic anxiety but the girls remained calm and composed. The opening stunts were much sharper than they had been yesterday. The standing tumbling and jump sections were also very strong. The basket tosses were excellent, despite one small issue on a catch. The girls were able to control their adrenaline and power as they executed their running tumbling section flawlessly. The second stunt sequence also hit much better today. The pyramid was the biggest issue yesterday but was offered no such problems today. The girls moved confidently into their dance and at the end were able to celebrate the success of their routine.
The girls came off the mat feeling confident and extremely satisfied with their performance. They reviewed the routine and then headed to the awards room. EC Cheer was named the All girl level 6 champions and boasted the highest cumulative level 6 score of a 101.10 (94.49%). Today's performance earned a much improved 102 out of 107 (95.33%). That's core included only 0.5 in execution deductions. EC Cheer was not only named American Majestic Cheerleading Champions, but accomplished their overall goal of making corrections and hitting their routine!
The team will spend the week back in practice, continuing to make improvements and continuing to build on their routine. They face another big weekend next weekend. They will compete at The Jamfest Competition in Syracuse, NY on Saturday, March 8. They follow that with the ICE Meltdown Competition held right in Elmira at the First Arena on Sunday, March 9. With Nationals being only 5 weeks away it is a key point in the season where the girls are finalizing the skills in the routine and gaining momentum and confidence. The team could use all the support they can get. Look for a schedule to be posted later this week, we would love to bring as many fans as possible as we can to the First Arena next weekend!
March 1, 2014
Today Elmira College Cheerleading traveled to Buffalo, NY for the American Majestic Cheerleading Championship. This competition is an all-star style competition, so EC competed Asa. College team in the "Open Level 6" division. There were no other all girl level 6 teams at the competition but in addition to competing for a division title, EC was vying for the Level 6 Grand Champion award. This award goes to the level 6 team (all girl or coed) with the highest score. The score from day one counts 25% and day 2 counts for 75% of the total score.
After the 3 hour bus ride, EC arrived at the Buffalo Convention Center at
3:15 p.m. Upon arrival we learned that our competition time had been pushed back an hour. The girls were now competing at
7:04 p.m. The team decided to use the extra time to check into their hotel and relax prior to competing. The team arrived back at the convention center at
5:45 p.m. where they got to watch a few teams compete to get acclimated with the performance stage. At
6:12 p.m. the team moved into the warm-up room. Each competition offers differing warm-up stations. The team had four 7 minute rotations to warm up each section of their routine. Warm-ups ran very smoothly, as each of the skills in the routine was practiced and ready.
EC Cheer took the floor at
7:04 p.m. Because this is an all-star style competition the girls competed on a gymnastics-like spring floor. This is very different than the non-spring loaded floor they practice in and will compete on at NCA Collegiate Nationals later this season. Most of the girls are experienced on spring floor and are able to adjust. This type of floor makes timing and sharp motions more challenging. It also makes tumbling different, as the girls have to accommodate for extra bounce and power they do not usually have. Regardless of the different floor, the girls were prepared and ready.
The routine started off very strong with the four opening stunts hitting and impressing the crowd. The girls moved into the standing tumbling and jump sections and executed it very well, the best they have performed these sections thus far. The basket toss section was next and this section was also executed better than it had been in any of the previous performances. The tumbling section caused 3 minor issues but was finished with a perfectly timed final synchronized elite pass and a flawless 2-1-1 pyramid. The second stunt sequence was next. Although not as clean as it has been in other performances the girls recovered from a bobbled stunt and had a very strong second part of the sequence. The team then moved into the recently updated pyramid section. While one half of the pyramid was improved and very clean the other side faced some issues that will be corrected for day two. The team finished the routine with the exciting dance section. Following their performance the team got the chance to review a video of their performance.
Because there is no other team in our specific division, EC Cheer holds on the number 1 spot. Today's score was not given to us at this point. The team came back to the hotel where they gathered in a conference room to eat dinner and watch a live feed of Elmira College Men's Hockey ECAC West semifinal game. Following dinner, the team was able to watch film and critique their performance. This competition is extremely important for the team because it very closes resembles the format of NCA Collegiate Nationals, another two-day competition. Although mistakes were made today, because
tomorrow performance is worth 75% of the overall score, there is ample room to correct mistakes and raise our score and take home the Level 6 Grand Champion award.
The schedule for
tomorrow's competition has been changed. Instead of competing at
4:28 p.m., Elmira College will compete at
11:52 a.m. Awards will follow at approximately
12:30 p.m.
Cheersport National Championships February 16, 2014 Today was the final day of competition for EC Cheer. Just as yesterday they met together two hours before taking the mat to make their way over to the warm-up area of the Georgia World Convention Center. They moved through the five stage warm-up process and went through all of their skills. The team crossed over to the competition arena with high energy, determined to improve their performance.
At 11:08 a.m. EC Cheer took the competition floor. The opening stunts hit even better than they had in day one. The standing tumbling section was strong and the girls moved forward to their jump section. There was only one minor mistake in this section. The basket toss section was next and there was definite improvement in the final two highlighted tosses. Corrections were also made in the running tumbling section. The second stunt hit and all five groups performed extremely well. A small mistake on the dismount of one stunt made for a difficult transition into the pyramid section but the team was able to recover and live through the entire sequence without any major issues. The routine finished with an exciting dance that the judges commented had "high and genuine energy and excitement." Overall, another very solid performance for EC Cheer!
After their performance, the last one in their division, the girls had to wait another hour for the results, announced at the awards ceremony. All of the teams were pulled up onto stage to await the results. Starting with fifth place was Brock University with a 93.24. In fourth place was Memorial University with a 97.04. In third place was Virginia Tech Club Cheer with a 97.62. Then, in second place with a 98.79 was Elmira College! First place went to Kennesaw State University Competitive Cheer with a 99.6.
The girls put out two very strong performances. They were able to hold their own against Division I schools even though they are from a small Division III school. They were able to apply corrections and work their way through the routine even when things were not perfect. This was a great way to start the season.
There is a month and a half until Nationals, allowing the team time for further growth and improvement. The girls will host a competition at the Murray Athletic Center on February 23, 2014. At the conclusion of the competition EC Cheer will perform their routine for the local competitors and spectators. Their next competition will be the American Majestic competition in Buffalo, NY on March 1 and 2.
February 15, 2014 EC Cheer got up bright and early to prepare for their first day of competition. Elmira gathered as a team 2 hours before they were to take the competition floor. They entered warm-ups at 9:47 a.m. and spent 40 minutes running through their stunts, tumbling, basket tosses and pyramids. The team had great energy and left the warm-up area confident and ready to compete.
At 11:46 a.m. EC Cheer took the competition floor for the first time in the 2014 season. The routine started strong with the four opening stunts hitting clean. The momentum built during the standing tumbling section. There was one minor mistake during the jump section but the team kept the energy up and moved forward. Their basket tosses were beautiful and executed very well. The running tumbling section was very solid and supplemented by a beautiful heel stretch pyramid. The second stunt sequence had one stunt fall but ended extremely well with the team showcasing their flexibility. The pyramid section, a very difficult section nearing the end of the routine, also hit well. The girls ended their routine with a strong dance, which outscored every other team in their division. This routine was executed extremely well, making the coaching staff very proud. It was a very strong first performance of the season.
Following the performances of all five teams in the division the rankings were posted. Elmira College Cheerleading is currently in 2nd place with a score of 92.85 out of a score of 107. They trail the Division I team from Kennesaw State Competitive Cheerleading who scored a 94.77. Virginia Tech Club Cheerleading is in 3rd place with an 89.58, Memorial University is in 4th with an 88.27, and Brock University is in 5th place with an 85.14. Each team in the division had at least one point in execution deductions, meaning that no team hit a perfect routine. All the teams put out strong performances and will make for an exciting day two of competition tomorrow!
For the remainder of the afternoon EC Cheer gets free time to enjoy watching rest of the competition. Tonight they will come together as a team for dinner and to review and critique their performance from today. They will go over judges' comments from their score sheets and focus on making tomorrow's performance even better. Day one scores count for 25% of the final score, so the girls still have the opportunity to earn the other 75% with tomorrow's performance. EC Cheer begins warm-ups at 10:02 a.m. tomorrow and takes the competition floor at 11:08 a.m. Awards will follow at approximately 12:30 p.m.!
February 14, 2014 Elmira College Cheerleading has arrived in Atlanta, GA for the Cheersport National Championships! The team boarded a bus at 9:00 p.m. last night in Elmira, NY and traveled for 18 hours to get to the competition where over 900 teams from across the United States have gathered to compete. Cheersport Nationals is a predominantly all-star cheerleading competition. This means that most teams are "club" type teams and participants age anywhere from four years and older. Because of its all-star natural, the All Girl College category is not broken into Division I, II and III. Elmira will complete against Canadian Teams, Brock University and Memorial University, as well as Division I and IA teams, Kennesaw State Competitive Cheer and Virginia Tech Club Cheer.
Today after arriving at the hotel, the EC Cheerleaders got settled and then headed off to practice. They were able to go through a 40 minute practice that mimicked what their warm-up will be like tomorrow. The girls had stations for stretching, tumbling, stunts and basket tosses, and a mat to run through the routine in its entirety. Even after spending the night on a bus the girls had a solid practice that ended with neighboring teams cheering for their collegiate level basket tosses and pyramiding. The strong practice is exactly what the cheerleaders wanted leading into Day one of the two-day competition tomorrow.
The night ended with EC Cheer gathering together in the hotel to partake in a team activity of exchanging Valentine's Day gifts with one another. The cheerleaders have been working extremely hard and have been able to come together as a unified team. The team has taken part in EC Cheer traditions and built the program stronger by implementing new traditions as well. We are very excited to see the girls compete tomorrow to kick off their 2014 competitive season.
