NKU Cheerleading takes home third place in national competition

NKU Cheer returned home to Norse Nation with a third place national standing under its belt after a recent national competition. 

The Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) College Nationals were hosted at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida from Jan. 13-15. The competition is attended by nearly every university cheerleading team in the region.

NKU’s cheer team made the trip to the sunshine state to compete in the Division I class. The Norse received their third place medals in the DI Small Coed Game Day category. 

NKU Cheer took to Instagram after the top three finish, writing, “We are 3rd place in the NATION!!!! We are incredibly proud of everything we did, and the feeling that we had today is a feeling unlike any other! We accomplished every goal we set as a team and we did it! No one can take away any of that! We are proud to wear NORSE on our chest always! #norseup #letsgonorse”

Shayla Aaron-Myles, the cheerleading squad’s head coach, has been with the Norse since 2010, leading the group as they competed annually at the UCA National Championship. The team brought home a third place national title back in 2018 in the Division I All-Girl category. 

Previously, the team competed in the Division II class, where they earned the number one in the nation spot for Small Coed in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

The national competition is split into multiple divisions, for example the Game Day competition was divided into seven categories. NKU fell into the Small Coed Cheer Game Day because they are in Division I with four or less males on the team.

UCA describes the Game Day routine as what traditional cheerleading is all about: leading the crowd. Competing teams perform their university’s fight song, a sideline cheer, as well as a timeout routine.

NKU Dance also traveled to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando over the long weekend, competing in the similarly-named Universal Dance Association College Nationals.