Minnesota Captures Two Golds At World Cheer Competition

By Paul Walsh
StarTribune.com

Competing as Team USA, the University of Minnesota Dance Team captured two gold medals and a silver at the International Cheer Union Worlds Competition in Orlando, Fla.

The 16-member cheer/dance team's routines earned gold in the jazz and freestyle (including pom) divisions and silver in hip-hop on Friday.

In January, the Minnesotans claimed national championships in two divisions. That allowed it to represent USA in Orlando, where about 60 nations participated.

The Worlds Competition is the largest international cheerleading and dance team competition, with more than 80 nations as members.

International Cheer Union World Championship Results

ICU Official Site: Click Here
Results and Video: Click Here
Photo Galleries: Click Here

JAZZ
GOLD Team USA
SILVER Team Japan
BRONZE Team Ukraine

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Chile
Team China
Team Australia
Team South Korea
Team Germany (pictured)
Team Guatemala

HIP HOP
GOLD Team Japan
SILVER Team USA
BRONZE Team China

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Norway
Team Mexico
Team Scotland
Team UK
Team South Korea
Team Germany
Team Australia
Team Guatemala
Team Switzerland
Team Ecuador

FREESTYLE
GOLD Team USA
SILVER Team Japan
BRONZE Team Finland

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Mexico
Team Norway
Team Slovenia
Team China
Team Australia
Team Colombia
Team Germany
Team South Korea
Team UK

DOUBLES JAZZ
GOLD Team Ukraine
SILVER Team China
BRONZE Team Mexico

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Germany

DOUBLES HIP HOP
GOLD Team China
SILVER Team Mexico
BRONZE Team South Korea

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team Germany
Team New Zealand
Team Slovenia

DOUBLES FREESTYLE
GOLD Team Ukraine
SILVER Team Mexico
BRONZE Team Switzerland

ALSO PARTICIPATING
Team China
Team Russia
Team Germany
Team Slovenia

Minnesota Dance Team Wins Two Golds At Worlds

The Gophers squad also picked up silver for their hip-hop routine.

BY KYLE POTTER
MNDaily.com

The University of Minnesota Dance Team earned two gold medals and one silver at the International Cheer Union World Championships last Friday.

Competing as Team USA in Orlando, Fla., the Gopher ladies squared off against teams from all over the world and came out on top in two of three categories: jazz and pom. And with a routine thrown together just a few months earlier, they also took silver in the hip-hop category.

After winning gold at nationals in January in both jazz and pom, the team was selected to represent the United States by the International Cheer Union in its second annual international event. ICU has almost 90 member nations from five different continents.

ICU spokeswoman Sheila Noone said teams from 65 nations were in attendance Friday at the championships, which included both cheerleading and dance categories.

Three countries weren’t able to compete because of flight complications caused by Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano ash, Noone said.

Gophers ladies coach Amber Jackson said this competition felt different than others in her 13-year history with the team.

“When we go to nationals, it’s about us and our competition,” Jackson said. “With [this competition], it was about being proud of what we’re doing and how that is impacting the world. It’s something bigger than just us.”

Both Jackson and senior captain Toni Gabrielli said their experiences with one team in particular were unforgettable.

Members of Team Mexico made a doll wearing the dress UMDT wore at nationals. Team Mexico members had watched and were inspired by videos of their jazz routine on YouTube.

When Minnesota performed the same routine at worlds, Team Mexico was in the front row with tears streaming down its members’ faces.

“We didn’t even realize the lives that we’ve touched,” Gabrielli said.

For Gabrielli, this competition was the perfect way to close out her four years on the dance team. And although it was a humbling experience to dance with people from so many different countries, she said she hasn’t wrapped her head around the idea of winning two gold medals just yet.

“It’s just crazy to think that we’re the best in the world at what we do.”

UC Dancers On Top Of The World

By Lauren Bishop
Cincinnati.com
Also: UC Dance Team Sweeps Dance Championship, WLWT.com

Best in the nation, and now best in the world.

That’s what the University of Cincinnati Dance Team can claim after winning gold medals in jazz dance, hip-hop and freestyle dance at the first-ever International Cheer Union’s World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando over the weekend, three months after the team won its fourth national hip-hop title in six years.

“They were unbelievable,” said Lisa Spears, who is in her 11th year as the team’s head coach. “They put on an outstanding performance.”

The International Cheer Union chose the UC dance team to represent the U.S. at the world cheerleading championships after the team took first place in hip-hop and fourth in dance in January at the Universal Dance Association – College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship at Walt Disney World.

The team held four-hour practices four to five times a week for two months to prepare for the world championships, lengthening and refining the hip-hop and dance routines they performed at nationals and learning a new freestyle routine, Spears said. The team’s varsity squad is made up of 17 students from all over the country, who have an overall grade point average of 3.4, she said.

Team members knew little about their international competition, which included teams from more than 40 countries competing in the dance and cheer events. The event was also part of a campaign to make competitive dance and cheer part of the Olympic Games.

In the end, the UC Dance Team’s greater experience compared with teams from countries that were new to competitive dance and cheering won out, said dance team captain Julie Dota, a 23-year-old senior math major from Youngstown. Still, they were stunned when they heard they swept all three categories.

“We really couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I would have never expected any of this to happen.”

The world championships ended the dance team’s season, but auditions for the 2009-2010 team take place May 30.

Information: http://gobearcats.cstv.com/spirit/cinn-dance.html

First Ever International Cheerleading Competition Brings World's best to Disney

More than 100 national teams from more than 50 countries will be on hand for the historic event.
www.Cheerunion.org

ORLANDO, Fla., April 22 -- For the first time ever, a world-wide cheerleading and dance team championship will take place, with national cheerleading and dance teams from approximately 50 countries descending on the Walt Disney World(R) Resort on April 23 and 24. The International Cheer Union anticipates 100 team performances over the two-day event.

The International Cheer Union (ICU) was developed in conjunction with more than 60 member countries. It is a non-profit governing entity for international cheerleading, with the goal of receiving membership applications from National Cheer Federations all around the world.

One of the key goals of the ICU is to promote and improve cheer programs worldwide, and this event will bring together the largest collection of international cheerleading groups ever assembled for one competition. The event is open to National or Provisional Cheer Federations.

"The United States is the birthplace of cheerleading but we have seen the sport blossom worldwide," said Karl Olson, secretary general of the International Cheer Union. "The ICU competition gives the world's best cheerleading and dance teams an incredible opportunity to serve as ambassadors for their countries in a sport that is grounded in pride, confidence and self esteem."

The United States has organized two National Cheerleading Teams, one coed and one all girl, as well as one National Dance Team, each featuring some of the best cheer and dance athletes in the country. The 60 American athletes that make up the USA Cheer Team were chosen at a tryout in December and announced in January. The USA Dance Team has 17 members

In addition to the teams from the United States, teams from as far away as Australia, Guatemala, Russia and China will be represented at the event, which will take place at the Wide World of Sports Complex.

"This is an amazing event for the global cheerleading and dance team community, and I am confident that this championship will enrich the sport's experience for the young athletes in each participating country," says Jeff Webb, president of the ICU. Jeff Webb is also the founder and CEO of Varsity, a global leader in cheerleading and dance team events, camps and apparel.

About the ICU

The International Cheer Union (ICU) was formed in 2007 as the non-profit international governing entity whose mission is to advance the sport of cheerleading on a global scale. With 60 member nations, the ICU represents the various geographical areas where cheerleading exists. Working with the International All Star Federation (IASF), the governing body of international all star teams, the ICU promotes healthy competition and rule development so that the sport can progress in a safe and organized way. More information can be found on www.cheerunion.org.

Cincinnati Dance Team To Represent United States

By Reggie Philpott
The News Record

The University of Cincinnati dance team has already brought home a national championship this year, and now will represent the United States in the first ever International Cheer Union World Championship.

The team has been selected by USA Cheer from a pool of outstanding college dance teams to compete as Team USA in Orlando, Fla., on April 24.

The competition will be held at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports complex, the same site as the Universal Dance Association national championship.

The University of Cincinnati dance team has already brought home a national championship this year, and now will represent the United States in the first ever International Cheer Union World Championship.

The team has been selected by USA Cheer from a pool of outstanding college dance teams to compete as Team USA in Orlando, Fla., on April 24.

The competition will be held at Walt Disney World’s Wide World of Sports complex, the same site as the Universal Dance Association national championship.

Teams from 25 to 30 other countries will also enter the contest, according to UC Dance Team Head Coach Lisa Spears.
When Spears made the announcement to the members of the team over lunch at Holy Grail Tavern and Grill on Friday, Feb. 6, they exploded in cheers and excitement as yet another organization validated their position as the best team of competitive college dance in the U.S.

“We have no idea what world [championship competition] is going to be like,” said second year team member Chandra Miller. “It’s something new that UC dance has never experienced before.”

Over the past six years the Bearcats have won four national championships with their hip-hop routines, showcasing a consistent ability to compete on the biggest and toughest stage.

Now they have an opportunity to take things to the next level.

“We’re representing the entire United States,” said fourth-year team member Jamie Cobb. “There’s so many teams out there and they picked us, from Clifton.”

The new international competition is part of a continuing drive to get competitive dance recognized as an Olympic sport.
The International Cheer Union also invited three members of the Olympic selection committee to the national championship this year, according to Spears.

“If some day this becomes an Olympic sport and we’re the ones that help get it there, that would be an incredible honor for this program,” Spears said.

Fresh off of the triumph at nationals, the announcement came at a time when the dance team is usually winding out the season by performing at basketball games and preparing for tryouts in the spring.

This year, the intensity will stay at a high level for two more months as the team dedicates their time and energy to a brand new competition.

The team will continue to practice 20 or more hours per week as they condition themselves to stay in competitive form.

In addition to the hip-hop and dance categories that form the national championship, the ICU World Championship will also hold a competition in the freestyle cheer category, a pom-pom routine.

Above and beyond any other team in the country, the UC dance team demonstrated that they have the ability to win an international competition in all three categories, according to a USA Cheer press release.

For the competition, the team will learn three, newly-choreographed routines.

The international competition will shed more light on the high level of skill of the athletes on the team, as well as around the world, according to Spears.