St. Thomas Dance Team Steps It Up With Top Honors And ‘Most Collegiate’

By: University of St. Thomas News Service
St. Thomas.edu

The UST Dance Team placed first overall and also won “Most Collegiate” honors in the Open Division at the Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Camp held Aug. 1-4 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The dancers also received a Superior Trophy for receiving the highest honors in their individual evaluations. The Open Division includes Division II and III schools.

The UDA camp is the largest collegiate cheer and dance camp in the United States, attended by approximately 1,400 student athletes, mascots, coaches and advisers from schools across the country and Puerto Rico.

Throughout the four days, teams compete in a competition with a routine prepared prior to attending camp and take classes where they learn new routines and technique for the upcoming season.

The “Most Collegiate” award encompassed representing the University of St. Thomas to the fullest with a positive work ethic, good sportsmanship, respect and attentiveness.

“Camp for us is the perfect way to begin our season. We only practice a few weeks prior to prepare for the competition so it is not only a nice way to ease back into dancing after the summer break but also a great way to bond as a team. Even though we came home with several awards, I think our greatest accomplishment was the connections we made as teammates and the positive way the girls represented themselves and the university,” Alysia Ulfers said.” As their coach, it makes me so proud to receive compliments about our team. They are not only known as talented dancers but also as respectful and mature young adults.”

The team is preparing for the football season, where it can be seen on the sidelines and at halftime. The team also will be working toward attending the 2010 National College Dance Team Championships next February in Orlando, Fla., where they hope to compete for the program’s third national title.