Beyond the Pompoms

Though both competitions have similar goals, teams across the country have made their preference in either UCA or NCA.

Depending on which cheerleader you ask, one will be stated as better than the other. On a surface level it’s easy to see that UCA can be the more traditional side of cheerleading mainly focusing on stunts and cheers and NCA can be more of the all-star side of cheerleading with more focus on dancing and high energy pyramids.

What’s more important, leading the crowd in a cheer or making stunts more challenging or entertaining for the cheerleader?

Every cheerleader will give you a different answer to that question, but this concept is what makes the difference in UCA and NCA.

So when it comes to the annual Nationals competitions hosted by each organization it’s definitely interesting to see what teams will come up with.

This weekend starts the Nationals Championship competition for NCA.

College cheerleaders from all over the country are traveling to Daytona, Florida for a weekend of competing, bonding and hopefully achieving a national championship title.

This is a chance for these college teams to come together and show everyone what they’ve been working towards all season. Some teams come just to have fun and others come striving to win for place.

Though there is some healthy competition, the main purpose of NCA Nationals is to bring together cheerleaders from everywhere and learn from what other teams have put together.

Since the sport of cheerleading is always growing and changing, competitions are where everyone gets to see just have creative and innovative their competitors can be.

Without competition cheerleading wouldn’t be where it is today!

This movie follows the lives of two teenage boys who use basketball as an outlet and an opportunity to find success in life.

The movie its self shows how a sport can inspire someone to be greater than anything they’d ever expected. Throughout the movie, these two young men, Arthur Agee and William Gates, experience the ups and downs that come with chasing a dream.

The movie follows the two basketball dreams from the beginning of the high school careers up until their graduations.  Along with the trails of making the team and performing in basketball the movie also takes the time to show the viewer their personal lives.

Along with the movie, there is also a book the follows the two young basketball players from their freshmen year to senior year. The book tells the story through moving back and forth between Arthur and William’s stories.

It is quickly discovered that their NBA dreams are more than hopes to excel in basketball, but mainly hopes to succeed and grow in life.

The culture of basketball is more than a game. It is a way of life.

These young men along with many others are inspired by the sport. The hopes of playing basketball keep them focused and out of trouble in an area where many men their age fall victim to drugs and other crimes.

The movie shows how sports can change your motivation in life and can ultimately give a player something to live for.

Though basketball and cheerleading are completely different sports, seeing the point of view of these two basketball dreams can inspire any athlete to work hard in all aspects of life.

Though cheerleading may seem like a sport that’s only common in the U.S.A., throughout the years cheerleading and competitive cheerleading has become more common around the world. With competitions such as the All-Star Worlds, teams throughout the world have had the ability to compete and learn new things from teams everywhere.

International teams have raised the bar of cheerleading and the possibility of stunts.

Though the sport of cheerleading has recently gained more popularity there has been competitive cheerleading for many years.

Though the main idea of competitive cheerleading is the same, the stunts and presentation of a cheer routine has changed significantly.

It’s interesting to see how the sport has grown in such as short period of time.

For NCA and UCA, there are a lucky group of experienced cheerleaders who get to travel throughout their home state and teach cheerleading to younger squads.

Being a member of staff allows those cheerleaders who have been doing the sport for many years to share their knowledge with others.

Members of staff work together to come up with new stunts to teach as well as learn various cheers and dances to teach to all of the campers throughout the summer.

http://youtu.be/3Nuv920zFPY

As a member of NCA or UCA Staff these cheeerleaders are looked up to by middle school and high school cheerleaders throughout the country.

Cheerleaders don’t have professional athletes to look up to, we look up to our cheer camp instructors.

The National Cheerleading Association was created in 1948 in Texas. Being the sister company of UCA, NCA does many of the things as UCA.

Though NCA does most of the same things as UCA, the company has a style all its own that. The two companies have a healthy rivalry in gaining interest from schools for competitions and summer camps.

The Universal Cheerleading Association  is the primary source of cheerleading throughout the country and around the world.

From competitions to summer camps, UCA offers everything a cheerleading team needs to be the best!

Since 1974, UCA has offered cheer camps, training, safety tips, uniforms, competitions  and everything cheer related. Founded by Jeff Webb, this association is still growing and allowing the sport of cheerleading to become more and more popular.

Taking elements of dance and gymnastics to create a foundation within the sport of cheerleading, UCA was the first to set the standard for the sport.

Competition is an important aspect to the raise of cheerleading. Whether the is a gameday team or all-star, the spirit of competition is connected to almost every aspect of cheerleading.

From UCA, NCA to USASF,  any cheerleader has the opportunity to put a routine together and a platform to perform and try to win a championship.

Though the most important job of a cheerleader is to cheer on her time the spirit of competition is something that gives every cheerleader a rush and something to work for.

Competition gives cheer teams a goal to accomplish throughout the season.

Based on which either association or federation the competition is sponsored by, there are different rules and regulations each team has to follow.

Competition allows cheerleaders to put down their pom poms and show everyone what they’re really made of!

As far as cheerleading goes, all-star cheerleading the fast pace, all competitive, close-to-no rules version of cheerleading. The purpose is to compete.

There’s no team to cheer on, no games to attend, just cheerleading competitions and trophies to chase after.

The best teams within the section of cheerleading range in age from some younger than 6 all the way to adults in their mid-twenties.

All-Star competitions are all about who can do the hardest stunt and do the most advanced tumbling pass all in one routine.