2021 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship

Do More With Less: Grand Canyon University

With setbacks and an unprecedented season, Grand Canyon University perseveres for the betterment of the program and the university.

Mar 31, 2021 by Varsity TV

Do More With Less: Grand Canyon University

With setbacks and an unprecedented season, Grand Canyon University isn't letting anything hold them back. With the 2021 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship just around the corner, the team is itching to finally take the stage at the prestigious event, and head coach Keegan Hubbard is right there with them!

"Our athletes, much like many cheerleaders across the nation, have endured an unprecedented season with many set backs but have pushed through for the betterment of the university and the program," says head coach Hubbard. "The team sees this competition as the light at the end of a very long tunnel. Luckily, our university fully supports our efforts on the court as well as competition and has allowed us to travel to Orlando to represent the great state of Arizona and Grand Canyon University."

The young program from Phoenix, Arizona has only been in existence for 13 years, and the last two years as a DI program! GCU's cheerleading program is made up of 53 team members this season with only 8 seniors and the rest underclassmen.

The cheerleaders are just one part of the nationally recognized Grand Canyon University Spirit Programs! Also a part of the spirit program is the Havocs, the back-to-back Gameday National Champion GCU Dancers, the Thundering Heard Pep Band, and of course their mascot, Thunder. GCU's top priority is to support their athletics programs and to help elevate the overall game day experience while holding themselves to the highest standards!

This year, Grand Canyon University will be competing in both the Open Coed Gameday division and the DI/DII Small Coed division at the 2021 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship. Like most universities, they have had to follow strict guidelines put in place by their medical staff and have had a challenging time navigating practices, but when the times get tough, the Antelopes kept one thing in mind this season!

"Preparing for competition, our motto this year has been 'Do more with less' as we have had fewer practices and certainly less contact," said head coach Hubbard. "For us, we have had to take every day of training as a gift and with that have had to utilize every ounce of focus and athleticism to achieve our current progress and goals."

"Do more with less."

The team is confident that they will have an exciting game day presence with the noise of the live GCU Drumline and their mascot Thunder! GCU's goal is to put out a routine that best represents the energy that the nation comes to expect from Grand Canyon University.