2017 UCA All Star ChampionshipMar 11, 2017 by Varsity TV
Brandon Senior Pink: Fighting Till The End
Brandon Senior Pink: Fighting Till The End
The Pink Ladies from Brandon All Stars are happy to be back in their own back yard for the UCA International All Star Championship in Orlando, FL.
The Pink Ladies from Brandon All Stars are happy to be back in their own backyard for the UCA International All Star Championship in Orlando, FL.
The Tampa locals have crossed the U.S. all season long performing and perfecting their Level 5 Medium Senior routine, but Director & Team Coach Mandy Andrews says this is one of their favorite competitions to compete at because they get to take the mat at home in the Sunshine State.
"It's been a different journey this year," explained Andrews. After recently merging with another gym, the process of acclimating new athletes to their gym and adapting them to the demands of a Level 5 team was their biggest challenge so far this season. Regardless of the challenges, Senior Pink has fought hard in every performance and is determined to make 2017 the best year yet. The squad took home second at CHEERSPORT Nationals in Atlanta, GA and after two zero deduction routines at NCA All-Star, the squad placed in the top ten.
Brandon All-Stars Senior Pink ? - L5 Medium Senior #UCAallstar pic.twitter.com/XkKTba5IFR
— Varsity All Star (@VarsityAllStar) March 11, 2017
The Preparation of a Pink Lady
The Brandon All Stars coaching staff demands excellence and makes sure the cheerleaders know they will train just as hard as athletes of other sports. "We focus a lot on being routine with everything we do," explained Choreography Coordinator & Team Coach Coleman Chaisty. "We start each season with what we call our 'fallback routine' and we slowly add skills and adjust the choreography weekly as the season progresses and the squad grows & improves."
One component of the routine Senior Pink has been working to improve is their tumbling. Every squad at Brandon All Stars has a mandatory weekly tumbling class, but as UCA All Star and other championships approached, extra tumbling hours where added to stay in shape and perfect skills.
The Pink Ladies are known for their high-energy stunt and pyramid sequences - the pyramid is their favorite routine element. Going into the new season, Andrews said she counted the number of flips that were in their 2016 pyramid and a goal for 2017 was to perform that number of flips again, plus one more. Brandon Senior Pink now has 10 flipping elements in their end pyramid this year!
Watch Their Day 1 Performance From UCA All Star 2017:
The coaches were proud of Pink's Day 1 performance and the fight they had throughout the routine. "We are lucky enough to already have our bid to The Cheerleading Worlds and now we can use this competition as an added practice to adjust our athletes to the arena," Chaisty said.
We told them this is the same room, the same mats, and even the same lights you will have at Worlds, get used to them now.