The UDA College Game Day Championship Grows In 2019
The UDA College Game Day Championship Grows In 2019
Everything you need to know as you watch collegiate dance teams take on the UDA College Game Day Championship!
College spirit teams across the nation are making their way to 2019 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship with excitement and intrigue of the newest part of the weekend, Game Day!
For many years, the only detailed showcase of direct school spirit from dance teams were spirit tapes sent in by universities with footage of game day and community events. Now the action is LIVE and teams are able to compete their crowd leading skills for a diverse group of fans and, of course, the judges.
Although many cheerleading and dance teams are side by side on the field or on the court representing their school, the technical skills showcased to get the crowd involved are quite different. Dancers have a unique take on the traditions of spirit during the game and we all can’t wait to see what it’s all about.
The UCA & UDA College Game Day Championship kicked off in 2018, but the growth we have seen leading up to year two has been remarkable. On the dance team side, Division lA has doubled and many more Division l and Open Division teams are ready to bring their sideline traditions to the stage. The Game Day competition is the crowd’s chance to feel what games are like back home for the university that’s performing.
2018 UDA Game Day Champions
Division lA - University of Nevada Las Vegas
Division l - St. John's University
Open - Northwest Missouri State
Dance teams will be judged on three different sections: Fight Song, Game Situation, and a Performance Routine. All must be completed within a total time of three minutes.
Teams will be listening for audio cues to tell them the order of the different sections. This allows for authenticity like an actual game day! Be on the lookout for tradition through the fight song, appropriate energy during the game situation and strong dynamics on the performance routine.
We caught up with some game day university coaches to hear more about their school spirit, learn some tips and hear what they are expecting for at the UDA College Game Day Championship!
-Darbi Fuhrman, Head Coach, Northwest Missouri State University, Open Division
“It’s such a fun way to bring what we do at our university and show it off! Northwest is such a special place for athletics, and we love bringing that culture to UDA! We really enjoy how UDA is incorporating Game Day into their competition because we are a dance team for our school first, so it’s fun to compete with what we do every single day!”
-Jenny Eustice, Head Coach, University of Iowa, DlA
“Our main focus for game day is showcasing the spirit and enthusiasm we have for Hawkeye Athletics. We wanted to make sure we incorporated elements that we actually use on game day, which include our traditional touchdown dance to our fight song, a band cadence that makes the crowd go crazy, and a Hip Hop timeout that we performed in the end zone at a football game. These elements show the diversity in styles we embrace on the sidelines!”
-Christine McCarton, Head Coach, St. John’s University, Dl
“Game day truly represents what collegiate dance teams do on the field/court at games. We are there to both engage and entertain the crowd. Our team loves doing this at games and the prep for game day at nationals is not only fun, but it also allows us to experiment with new things at our games.”
-Tiffany King, Head Coach, Long Island University Post, Open Division
To be awarded maximum points for a Game Day performance I feel that the team should convey genuine enthusiasm and university pride during their time on the stage. Volume, projection, uniformity, continuous energy and facials are a must and the team should perform as if they were on the sidelines of their turf or court so that viewers are captivated by the authenticity! I hope that when my team leaves the stage, all spectators feel like Long Island University Pioneers!
Game Day pride is huge for spirit teams and the entertainment value they exude out to the stands is crucial between and during play. Catch the spirit of Game Day at the 2019 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team Championship this Friday in Orlando, FL!
Written By: Megan Miles
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