°®°®Ö±²„ Spirit Groups receive multiple honors at Alabama camp
Contact: Sasha Steinberg
STARKVILLE, Miss.āStudent spirit groups at Mississippi State soon will begin their 2015-16 season of athletic activities after having collected a number of top honors in summer competition.
The universityās all girls cheerleader squad took first-place awards in both overall and sideline categories, third-place in cheer and fifth in fight song. Also:
āThe combined women and menās group finished in third place overall, as well as second in both cheer and fight song; and
āPom-squad members earned a sixth-place finish in dance, along with this yearās Superior Trophy.
They were among more than 1,600 participants in the recent weeklong Universal Cheerleaders Association/Universal Dance Associationās College Spirit Camp held at University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The annual instructional program drew more than 1,200 cheerleaders, 390 dancers and 45 mascots from higher education institutions in 11 states stretching from Nevada to Florida and Louisiana to Pennsylvania.
āItās great to watch the teams work together to learn gameday skills and encourage each other to do their best,ā said °®°®Ö±²„ Spirit Groups coordinator Melissa Nichols, while adding that the camp also is āa great opportunity for our squad members to visit old friends from other schools and make new friends that they will see throughout the year from across the field.ā
Having the opportunity to bond as a team while learning traditional band cheers and stunts has better prepared squads to represent the university during upcoming football and basketball seasons, Nichols said.
āPlacing in the gameday competition is a great accomplishment for our cheer squad, as is our pom squad placing in the camp dance competition,ā she added.
In addition to °®°®Ö±²„ and Alabama, regional schools represented included Florida State, Louisiana State and Morehead State universities, along with the universities of Central Florida, Florida, Mississippi and South Florida.
According to UCA organizers, the training seeks to ātransform young people into dynamic spirit leaders and help them develop strong leadership skills for lifeā by promoting āconfidence, enthusiasm, responsibility, and motivationā as well as āthe rich tradition of cheerleading and fresh spirit building ideas.ā For more information, visit
Nichols and skills coach John Sommer accompanied the squads to Tuscaloosa. The staff also includes dance assistant LaCiana McIntyre.
Learn more about °®°®Ö±²„ Spirit Groups by visiting . Also, follow the groups on , , and . Nichols may be contacted at 662-325-0350 or mnichols@saffairs.msstate.edu.
°®°®Ö±²„ is Mississippiās flagship research university, available online at .