UCA National High School Cheerleading Competition
went backstage and warmed up. We were all nervous when the announcer called our name and we began to take the mat. Then suddenly, a great feeling came over us. All the lights, screaming people, camera men, and judges - it felt like everyone’s eyes were on you. From the minute our music started to the end of our routine I felt nothing but excitement, happiness, joy, and unity. That was the best routine we have ever performed. After we got off the mat we had to wait around to see if we made it to the semi-finals. The announcer called off all the teams in a random order so it was very nerve racking. We heard some of the teams we were friends with like Salem High School and Eisenhower High School, the Christian Brothers and St. Louis. Then we heard the voice announce Romeo High School! That was a very exciting moment. We made it to Semi-Finals and out of 78, teams we were in the top 35.
That night UCA held a Celebration night. During Celebration night, UCA and MGM team up and close down MGM for the public and it is all for the cheerleaders. They have all the rides up and they have a DJ in an area and everyone goes and has fun and dances and gets to know other people. That night we all went on the Tower of Terror together and did the Rock-n-Roller Coaster.
The day after Celebration night was a day to rest and practice. We got up about 10am and went to a Character breakfast at MGM. There were all the Disney characters there like Mickey and Minney, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, Belle, Tinker bell, and Buzz. They sang and danced for us and signed autographs and took pictures with us. It was a very fun and exciting breakfast.
We went back to the hotel and got ready to practice. Our coaches surprised us and let us stay at the hotel and practice. We went down to the lake they had there and practiced on the beach. It was a very enjoyable and relaxed practice. Because we were not sure if we were going to make it out of the next round our coach told us that it didn’t matter if we made it to finals or not, just have fun out there.
The rest of the day we hung around the hotel and rested. We went to the pool, played volleyball, walked around, shopped, and went on a boat. It was very fun and calming. We hung out with some of our new friends from the other teams there. They were all so very nice to us and showed us around the place.
The Semi-Final competition was early on Monday morning. We had to be to the arena by 9am. We were one of the last teams to go again so we did not get to see any of the teams ahead of us. Before we went on the mat I turned to [next page]