Cougarettes' Winning Performance to be Broadcast Nationally

BYU Cougars.com

PROVO, Utah (April 23, 2010) – Cougar fans will have a chance to see the BYU Cougarettes’ winning performance at the National College Dance Team Championships as broadcast plans have been announced. The Championships will air at 4 p.m. MT Saturday on Fox Sports Network Rocky Mountain, which can be found on channel 52 for Comcast subscribers in Utah or on DISH Network channel 414.

The Cougarettes won the national dance title for the eighth time in 13 years in the competition held April 9 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Competing against schools from all over the country at the NDA National Championships, the Cougarettes recorded a score of 9.860, edging out the University of Louisville (9.831) for the 2010 title. The 20-member squad posted the highest score of all three divisions, giving BYU the Grand National Championship as well.

“This means a lot to our program. We didn’t have a chance to compete last year, so coming back this year to win it all is very exciting,” said Cougarette head coach Jodi Maxfield. “We've been working hard since last April, and I believe this was the best routine we've ever performed. I'm so proud of the girls for their hard work, dedication and the way they represented Brigham Young University.”

The BYU Cougarettes are categorized as a precision dance team, but in fact the scope and breadth of their focus is much more varied, including jazz, hip hop and pom. The Cougarettes captured its first National Collegiate Dance Championship in 1997 and has since won titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and now 2010. In addition, the Cougarettes have finished in the Top 4 three other times.

Considered the elite college dance program in the country, BYU Cougarettes have gone on to perform for the Walt Disney Co., Universal Studios, Opryland, Broadway, professional dance companies, as well as National Basketball Association dancers. The Cougarettes also performed at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Cougarettes Capture National College Dance Team Championship

BYUCougars.com

Daytona Beach, Fla. (April 9, 2010) — For the eighth time in the past 13 years, the Brigham Young University Cougarettes are the National College Dance Team Champions.

Competing against schools from all over the country at the NDA National Championships, the Cougarettes recorded a score of 9.860, edging out the University of Louisville (9.831) for the 2010 title. The 20-member squad posted the highest score of all three divisions, giving BYU the Grand National Championship as well.

“This means a lot to our program. We didn’t have a chance to compete last year, so coming back this year to win it all is very exciting,” said Cougarette head coach Jodi Maxfield. “We've been working hard since last April, and I believe this was the best routine we've ever performed. I'm so proud of the girls for their hard work, dedication and the way they represented Brigham Young University.”

The BYU Cougarettes are categorized as a precision dance team, but in fact the scope and breadth of their focus is much more varied, including jazz, hip hop and pom. The Cougarettes captured its first National Collegiate Dance Championship in 1997 and has since won titles in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and now 2010. In addition, the Cougarettes have finished in the Top 4 three other times.

“Winning first place this year was the biggest thrill,” said senior Cougarette president Eliza Diederich. “We have an amazing team. We knew what we needed to do and brought it full force. Our theme this year was to believe and with that faith and burning desire anything is possible.”

Considered the elite college dance program in the country, BYU Cougarettes have gone on to perform for the Walt Disney Co., Universal Studios, Opryland, Broadway, professional dance companies, as well as National Basketball Association dancers. The Cougarettes also performed at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

"This experience has been so rewarding," said senior Jaymn Swenson who was Cougarette president last year. "The hard work paid off for us this year."

NDA National Championship Top 10
Brigham Young University (9.860)
University of Louisville (9.831)
Penn State (9.406)
South Carolina (9.406)
Duke (9.269)
Purdue University (9.233)
Virginia Tech (9.100)
Iowa State (9.073)
North Carolina State (8.985)
Texas Tech (8.948)

Split Personality For Family In Utah-BYU Rivalry

Alpine's Mowers manage a split personality during BYU-Utah week
Daily Herald
By Beky Beaton

So what determines team loyalty when a family has a split personality?

For the Doug Mower clan of Alpine, the answer is easy - blood.
Blood relation, that is.

Doug and wife Jody are BYU alumni. Oldest children Mindy and Matt are BYU graduates, and Katie and Tyler are current BYU students. Katie is also a member of the Cougarettes.

So, it would be easy to assume that this is an enclave of avid BYU fans.

Not so fast.

Second son Clint is the fly in the ointment, so to speak. He just happens to be in his senior season as the deep snapper for the Ute football team.

"Even though most of my family went to BYU, I never really had a side growing up," Clint said. "Once I came up here, my whole family converted to being Utah fans. They totally support me."

The player added that he's received a surprising amount of encouragement from his friends and neighbors too, even though his family lives right in the middle of Cougar country.

"There are a lot of people in my parents' ward who follow my team and make comments to me when I'm home," Clint said. He also gets some of the younger residents asking shyly for autographs.

He called Katie a "closet" Ute fan, but she said she makes no effort to hide it.

"I was definitely a Ute fan before I got to BYU and I'm still a little red," she said. "I'll always cheer for my brother."

That loyalty didn't get in the way of her pursuing her own dreams, however.

"I always knew I wanted to try out for the Cougarettes dance team because they're really good," she explained. "They're one of the reasons I applied to BYU, and when I made the team, BYU seemed the logical choice. It has worked out very well for me."

Clint returns the support he gets with some of his own. When he can, he goes to BYU games to watch Katie dance.

The most recent opportunity was the San Diego State game. "Of course, I had a good excuse because we were going to play them next, and BYU after that," he said.

He still made a fuss in the stands until his sister's smile and wave showed that she had seen him. "It's fun," he said. "It works out really well."

Katie agreed.

"I suppose I should be a little bit more of an advocate for BYU," she said. "It might be a little different story if I was a boy and we were actually playing against each other."

Katie is a sophomore, but tomorrow's game presents a situation she hasn't faced before.

"It's funny," she said. "I was planning to go with my parents to the game and wear my red shirt with Mower on it, and then I found out they were sending the Cougarettes to the game as well.

"It will certainly be a little different to wear blue in Rice-Eccles," she added.

Despite her appearance for the Blue side, however, there's no question about who she wants to come out victorious in the game.

"I'd like to see my brother win," she said. "The girls on the (dance) team tease me about it, and I'm tempted to wear my red shirt to the practice the day before, but it's all in good fun. They understand its family, and you support your family."

For the parents, being there for both children has created a couple of interesting days, as well as spurring an expansion of their wardrobe to cover both the Blue and the Red.

BYU Homecoming weekend last year was one of those occasions. Doug and Jody watched Katie dance at halftime of the Air Force game dressed in blue, then drove to the airport and caught a flight to Las Vegas.

The arrived at UNLV dressed in red, just in time for the 8 p.m. kickoff.

The Mowers replicated the two-in-one-day feat again this year.

They watched Katie dance at halftime of the UCLA game, then changed clothes and drove up to Logan in time for the 6 p.m. Utah kickoff at USU.

It's a little easier when the schedules don't conflict, and of course, they attend during those events too.

Doug admits that he still likes BYU -- except when they play Utah. "We're rooting for the Utes on Saturday," he said.

"Clint's played on the team for three years and it's been a great experience," the father said. "We've gotten to know the parents, the other players and the coaches there, and we've had a great time. I'm definitely a Ute football fan."

Like his son, Doug has also been surprised at how many Ute fans have come out of the woodwork in the neighborhood, but that doesn't mean the Mowers escape any comment.

"A lot of our neighbors and ward members tease us," he said. "Last year on the morning of the (BYU-Utah) game, we found a big blue Y flag hung on our front porch."

So, did they burn it? Shred it? Throw it away?

Nope.

They found out who left it there, eventually. They kept it for about half a year, and then gave it back, intact.

That result well represents the kind of civility you have to have to survive in a family with ties to both sides.

• Beky Beaton can be reached at bbeaton@heraldextra.com.