July 28, 2008
CU Cheer wins prestigious UCA awards
SAN MARCOS, Texas (July 22) – The Cameron University cheerleading squad took an enormous step forward last week with impressive performances at the annual Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) Summer Camp on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Among the likes of the University of Oklahoma, the University of Texas, Baylor University, and many others, the Aggie cheerleaders brought home a number of prestigious awards and accolades. CU’s squad participated in the camp from July 19-22.
“The camp far surpassed all of my expectations,” Head Coach Robin Martin said. “Our goal was to bond as a team while also improving; I feel we did that and more. It was an exhausting four days but it was unbelievable to hear our names called out among some of the best squads in the nation during the awards ceremony.”
The Aggie cheerleaders won six ribbons throughout the camp for their performance in a number of routines including sideline chant, dance, and home cheer. Of the six ribbons, CU won five “Superior” awards and one “Excellent” award. Essentially, the “Superior” ribbons were for first-place while the “Excellent” ribbons were for second-place. More than one squad could win the same award in each event.
On the final day of camp, each of the cheerleading squads packed TSU’s Strahan Coliseum for the awards ceremony. It was during this ceremony where Cameron was awarded three enormous trophies. The first trophy awarded to CU was for 5th place in the dance competition. The next trophy given to the Aggies was the “Superior Award” which is given to the squad that has improved the most throughout the four days of camp.
As the award ceremony wrapped up, there was one final award to be handed out: the Leadership Award. This honor is voted on by the other squads at camp who are told to vote on which other squad (beside themselves) they would want to be a part of the most, as well as which squad was their overall favorite.
This year the Leadership Award went to the Cameron Aggie cheerleading squad, much to the delight of Coach Martin. Jeff Webb, the owner and CEO of the UCA, presented all of the awards and said that the Leadership Award is the “most prestigious and most important award given out each year.”
“I am so proud of our hard work and our awards,” Coach Martin said. “I definitely feel the girls deserve them; they have come a long way. It was very humbling, but it let me know that I am doing my job in getting Cameron’s name out there. That was my goal at camp: not only for the girls to succeed but for CU to become the focal point at camp. Not a lot of people knew where we were from when we got there, but they sure did when we left.”
Cameron Athletic Director Jim Jackson echoed Coach Martin’s excitement following the four-day camp.
“I’m excited that the cheerleaders have done so well,” Jackson said. “One of our goals is that we want them to do better, so it’s exciting that they won so many awards. It shows me that we have talent and leadership, not only within the squad but also with Coach Martin. I’m looking forward to the volleyball and basketball seasons to see them perform.”
This year’s Cameron Aggie cheerleading squad features ten young ladies, all of whom are from the Lawton/Ft. Sill region. Four girls are returning from last year’s squad, while six girls are new to the CU cheerleading program.
“We consider our cheer program a part of our total athletic program just like any other sport,” Jackson said. “We have made a conscious effort to try and improve this squad, and one of the things we have done is to send them to summer cheer camp to allow them to get better. I think they’ve taken a big step and I’m proud of them; they have taken the challenge and now need to transfer from camp into the season. I’m very excited.”
Aggie fans can visit the Cameron Athletics website (goaggies.cameron.edu) later this week to view pictures of each cheerleader and videos from the UCA camp.
“I expect a lot more of my girls this year; not only do I expect our talent to be up, but I expect our spirit to be up as well,” Coach Martin said. “I hope to carry the positive momentum from camp into the season. It’s our goal this year to encourage people to come to the CU games not only to see the athletes but to also come see the cheerleaders: I want everyone to know who we are. The 2008-2009 season should be a fantastic year for CU cheer.”