In basketball, you win the game by scoring the most baskets. In volleyball, you score points based off the opponent’s mistakes. In baseball, you win the game by getting hits and scoring runs. With cheer and dance, it’s a little different.
Cheerleaders and dancers only get two minutes total to prove themselves. They only get two minutes to not make one single mistake. They only get two minutes to show off what they have worked so hard for.
People tend to say cheer and dance aren’t sports. They say, “Dance and cheer doesn’t compete against other teams as often as other sports,” or “They only support other athletes.” The myth that cheer and dance aren’t sports has started to get proven wrong more and more.
At St. Ambrose, the competitive dance and cheer teams ARE treated like varsity sports in some aspects. They are offered scholarships to participate and they are given the opportunity to compete at the National level.
Every summer, SAU cheer and dance start training and practicing. They start working out, learning routines and plan their yearlong season. November starts competition season. They travel all over to compete against other varsity cheer and dance teams.
In March there is the NAIA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Nationals. Once again, the teams get two minutes to prove they are the best and then they get another two minutes to fight for the top spot in finals.
In April, the teams travel all the way to Daytona Beach, FL, to fight for the National Champion title one last time. Over three days, the teams cheer, stunt, dance, lift each other, and yell their hearts out. Some teams make it on to finals, others don’t. The SAU teams tend to ALWAYS make it to the finals and place high every year.
Now after hearing all of this you may still argue that cheer and dance aren’t sports and shouldn’t be treated as every other college athletic. What you don’t know is that the SAU Dance Team has now won TWO National Titles in the past 3 years and brings home a trophy at every competition they go to. The SAU cheer team also always brings home a trophy every time they compete.
Not only do these two teams place high and represent SAU well, they have more heart than most teams. They practice for nine months for their two minutes of fame on that stage.
Not many sports teams have to argue why they are a sport, why they should get treated as one, or beg for time and space to practice. But the SAU dance and cheer teams do it with such respect and pride.
Congrats to the SAU Cheer team for placing 6th in their division at NCA Nationals last week and congrats to the SAU Dance Team for playing 4th in their team routine and being runners up in Hip Hop and receiving the innovative choreography award. Last week was a great way to end your seasons!