I wish I could say that I left the wintry weather of Ithaca, New York, behind to relax in the Florida sun this past weekend… but I did the exact opposite of relax. Instead of lounging poolside, I woke up in an Orlando hotel room with my dance bag half-unzipped, lashes scattered across the desk, and adrenaline already running high. It was UDA College Nationals — the moment that months of early-morning games, late-night practices, and counting eight-counts in my sleep all led up to.
UDA College Nationals is a national championship competition for collegiate dance, where teams from across the country compete in various performance categories to showcase their skills, precision, and school spirit. (You may know it from viral TikTok dance trends and and contentious commentary.)
I competed with the Cornell Dance Team in Division I Game Day and Pom, which meant full-out power, nonstop energy, and zero room for hesitation. Days at Nationals move fast, and between warm-ups, team huddles, and stepping onto the ESPN Wide World of Sports floor, the nerves come in waves — excitement mixed with pressure, pride, and the weight of representing our school on a national stage alongside world-renowned teams and dancers.
If you’re curious what it’s like to be a dancer during UDA Nationals, spend the day with me as I take you through one of the most high-energy, emotional, and rewarding days of my college dance career — from hotel-room glam to competition-floor adrenaline, and everything in between.
8:30 A.M.: Wake Up & Get Glam
Nationals day calls for an early morning and plenty of time for hair and makeup. I got ready for the day with a side of Mickey waffles. (They took off the edge… a little).
11:00 A.M.: Head to ESPN Wide World of Sports
Bus selfies before everything got serious! Everyone riding to the venue was quiet in that “we’re all nervous but pretending we’re fine” way.
12:00 P.M.: Take pics in front of the Globe
The classic UDA globe pic — we couldn’t skip it. The sun was shining down on us and everyone was in good spirits as we made our way into the ESPN Wide World of Sports. It was refreshing to have some wholesome moments before we had to lock in.
12:30 P.M.: Start stretching and warm-ups
It’s vital for dancers to warm up our bodies for any performance, and today is no different. We did our jumping jacks and ab routines as a unit before counting through our dances all together, for the last time before showtime.
3:15 P.M.: Perform Game Day
Game Day is my personal favorite performance to compete with. The spirit, the signs, and the rallying create an electric energy in the stadium that you simply cannot find anywhere else. I was proud to hold the “Go” sign in our chants that lift up the Big Red!
4:00 P.M.: Recovery & Vibe Switch
The post-performance high was real when we walked off that stage to see our alumni, family, and friends supporting us. We celebrated the victory of completing our first dance of the day before switching into Pom mode.
7:00 P.M.: Stretching & practice
Then it was time for our final Pom run-throughs and stretching before the last performance of the day. It was bittersweet to know that there was an end to this competition season in sight.
9:30 P.M.: Perform Pom
We left it all out on the floor with this routine, and I couldn’t be more proud of my team as we walked off the Nationals stage.
10:30 P.M.: More Globe Pics
Although we did not move forward to finals, we were collectively so proud of the performances we gave. We headed back to the globe, but this time we were way more relaxed. No nerves left — just exhaustion, pride, and lots of laughing.
11:00 P.M.: Shower and sleep
The post-competition shower hit different. Then I got into bed and fell asleep almost immediately, thinking about how my dreams of competing at UDA College Nationals had actually come true.