BAM! The Bambies Are Back!
BAM! The Bambies Are Back!
The St. Hubert Bambies are back and ready to claim a bid at the UCA Northeast Championship!
Before taking to the competition mat, St. Hubert coach Lisa McNesby had a simple, two-word slogan to inspire her teams at the UCA Northeast Championship in Toms River, New Jersey, on Saturday.
Our goal is to always hit a clean routine so we walk off the mat feeling proud.
"Ever since I can remember -- I've been coaching since 2000 -- the motto for our team has been "Don't Quit," Hubert said. "It's based off the "Don't Quit" poem. The girls use this poem to motivate them during a performance and to remind themselves to keep striving for excellence. One of their practice T-shirts has the words "Don't Quit" on the back."
In McNesby's years of coaching at St. Hubert, the program has thrived and now includes 75 girls between the large varsity, large JV, and JV non-tumbling teams.
Well-known for its fun and energetic "BAM, we're the Bambies chant," the varsity team always keeps its sign work fresh. When you watch St. Hubert's routine this year, be sure to pay close attention to the flips and twists the squad has up its sleeve.
In the 2015-16 season, the JV non-tumbling team received second place at Nationals while the large JV girls were named national champions! The varsity girls finished second in the state and fourth at Nationals in medium varsity, which is no easy task.
McNesby explains the Bambies focus heading deeper into the season.
"Varsity is attempting a more difficult elite sequence than last year, and it's not quite consistent yet," she said. "I would say that is the weak spot in the routine right now. Our athletes need to focus on using strong technique even when they are exhausted. When they use the right technique and don't rush the counts, they are much more successful.
Our goal is to always hit a clean routine so we walk off the mat feeling proud. As we build confidence throughout the competition season, we would like to add more difficulty into the routine."
The St. Hubert program demonstrated strong performances Saturday at the UCA Northeast Championships and has its eyes set on the prize as the Bambies train for Nationals in February.