Sassy Cats go ‘gangsta’, earn national ranking
Senior Ashley Cerame, the Sassy Cats’ team captain, has been part of the team for three years. Cerame was excited for the competition and the challenge it brought to the team.
“We competed in the UDA Open Hip Hop Division with 24 other dance teams from around the country,” Cerame said. “On Saturday, January 17 we danced in the semi-final round and found out we made it into the top 16 teams to make it to finals.”
Based in Orlando, Fla. at Hollywood Studios, this was the Sassy Cats’ second time participating at this competition in the past three years. Dancing on the Indiana Jones Stage, they brought their unique flavor to the competition.
“Our theme for nationals this year was ‘Geeks to Gangstas’,” co-captain Charlotte Ballard said. “The dance gave us room to play up our characters, show high energy levels, and have fun with each other.”
After competing at the NDA Collegiate Nationals in Daytona, Fla. in 2008, the Sassy Cats were hoping to find a competition that would better fit their style. According to Cerame, the UDA Dance Team Nationals were perfectly in sync to their dance categorization, which led to the team’s success.
The Sassy Cats earned the final place of 14 among the 24 dance teams. Their national ranking was a long-awaited victory. The team endured three practices every week last semester to learn two game dances and their nationals routine from choreographer CiCi Kelley, who has been featured on MTV’s MADE. The team came back a week early from holiday break to prepare for nationals.
“With all of our hard work, dedication and long hours, we were very proud of all we had accomplished,” Cerame said.
An additional responsibility of the team is raising all their funds themselves. Whereas coaches and the athletic departments manage the majority of the other teams competing in the Sassy Cats division, GCSU’s team is student ran. Organized fundraisers, sponsors, and events cover their expenses. All the team’s fundraising aided in bringing forth their new trophy.
“With this win, our confidence has definitely increased,” co-captain Beth Marxsen said. “Being ranked nationally has affected all of the girls positively. All of their hard work and dedication has paid off.”
Looking to the near future, the Sassy Cats will continue to bring spirit to the men’s home basketball games this semester. The Peach Belt Competition will be held on March 7, allowing them to compete against other dance teams in GCSU’s conference. They have the hopes of regaining their title as Peach Belt Champions, which they last won in 2007. Footage of the UCA/UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team Nationals Competition will be aired on ESPN as well.
“I am excited to be on such a hard-working team,” sophomore Emily Hensley said. “I hope the school comes out to see our dedicated and talented members at the basketball games.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Jan 23 2009. Filed under Sports.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
