The Texas A&M cheer squad performed at the 2022 American Cheer Power Galveston Showdown on Saturday, March 13, an event which hosted 256 cheer squads of all ages and skill levels.
The experience provided a competitive atmosphere and constructive judges’ comments in preparation for the upcoming nationals competition, Atosha Rampy, A&M cheer squad head coach, said. The 2022 NCA College Nationals competition is scheduled to take place in Daytona Beach, Fla., the first week in April, when college cheer teams will compete for the championship title in their respective divisions. The A&M cheer squad won back-to-back nationals in 2018 and 2019 and is working to regain the championship title, Rampy said.
The A&M squad received an overall score of 83.93 out of 90 in the Galveston competition. Despite a few stunting mistakes during their performance, the judges had positive feedback, Rampy said. The squad plans to close this marginal window of error in the coming weeks.
“Overall, they did really well,” Rampy said. “We had some stunt mistakes, but at this stage in the game that is expected. As coaches, we don’t want them to be perfect yet. We have a few more weeks to continue working and hopefully peak on finals day.”
The squad’s dynamic routine is two minutes and 13 seconds long, composed of several different elements. Within this short time frame, the team performs many standing and running tumbling passes and multiple complex stunts, and the routine concludes with a full-squad multi-step pyramid.
“The judges had some good reminders to finish skills with precision,” Rampy said. “[They said to] make all moves purposeful. They also commented that the performance and energy level were great and to continue to put in the work to be ready for Daytona.”
The squad will travel to Daytona Beach for the NCA College Nationals April 6-10.
“Being able to compete in front of a crowd, like we did this past weekend in Galveston, is always extremely helpful,” junior squad member Hannah Cooper said. “It really allows us to feel more comfortable and prepared to perform in front of the large crowds in Daytona. It is a great opportunity to come together as a team and have fun on the mat while performing and showing what an amazing routine we have.”
Texas A&M cheer will continue nationals preparation at a series of showcases beginning March 27 at Sam Houston State University. The squad plans to host an event at home on the A&M campus on April 2.
For more information, visit the A&M cheer squad on Instagram @tamu_cheer.