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A group of River Valley student-athletes will help lead Arkansas Tech University coed cheer back to the national stage for the first time in nearly three decades.
The ATU coed cheer team is set to compete at the National Cheerleading Association College National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, marking the program’s first appearance at the event in 27 years. The team is scheduled to perform at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, April 10. A watch party is planned at ATU’s Ferguson Student Union. Tech's performance can be viewed online.
Among those competing are several River Valley natives, including seniors Kellie Archer of Mulberry, Keller Keen of Paris and Meagan Lewison of Van Buren; junior Jade Boen of Ozark, and freshman Lilly Keener of Lamar.
The remainder of the squad includes athletes from across Arkansas and beyond, including senior Taylor Darling of Nashville; juniors Abbi Crawford of Glenwood, Brock Skidmore of Bentonville and Raice Speaks of Coweta, Oklahoma; sophomores Abisai Martinez of Russellville, Valentina Molina-Perez of Neiva, Colombia and Vivica Smith of Imboden; and freshmen Jenna Carter of Sherwood, Joslyn Hewitt and Kelsi Thiessen of Springdale, Kennedy Stroud of Benton and Carlie Wheelus of Atkins. Freshman Kyndal Whitmore of Bentonville serves as the team’s alternate, while freshman Jynah Trotter of Russellville is the team’s energy leader.
The team began preparing its competition routine in February, balancing choreography development with intensive practice schedules and fundraising efforts to support the trip.
“We have had many 6 a.m. practices, night practices and two-a-day practices,” said Darling, one of the team’s captains. “It has been non-stop. We have been sore and fatigued, but we still showed up and tried our best.”
Darling said the decision to compete at nationals came from within the team after years of discussion.
“For the past few years, we’ve always mentioned nationals and always wanted to go,” she said. “We love what we do on campus, but competing is an extra step for us. All of us are very competitive, and it just happened that this year was the year.”
The program’s resurgence comes under the direction of head coach Krystal Shipp, who joined ATU three years ago and is also an instructor of curriculum and instruction and director of the university’s early childhood education program.
“I was here when she came in, and she really changed the perspective on our team,” Darling said. “She presented competing as a question, whether we wanted to do it, and she’s been there every step of the way.”
While the NCA championship is a national competition with winners and rankings, Darling said the team is focused on the opportunity itself.
“I define success as showing up and doing it,” she said. “We have made so much progress, even in just the past month. Going and doing it to the best of our ability will be a win for me.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: River Valley natives power ATU cheer’s return to nationals
Continue reading...
The ATU coed cheer team is set to compete at the National Cheerleading Association College National Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, marking the program’s first appearance at the event in 27 years. The team is scheduled to perform at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, April 10. A watch party is planned at ATU’s Ferguson Student Union. Tech's performance can be viewed online.
Among those competing are several River Valley natives, including seniors Kellie Archer of Mulberry, Keller Keen of Paris and Meagan Lewison of Van Buren; junior Jade Boen of Ozark, and freshman Lilly Keener of Lamar.
The remainder of the squad includes athletes from across Arkansas and beyond, including senior Taylor Darling of Nashville; juniors Abbi Crawford of Glenwood, Brock Skidmore of Bentonville and Raice Speaks of Coweta, Oklahoma; sophomores Abisai Martinez of Russellville, Valentina Molina-Perez of Neiva, Colombia and Vivica Smith of Imboden; and freshmen Jenna Carter of Sherwood, Joslyn Hewitt and Kelsi Thiessen of Springdale, Kennedy Stroud of Benton and Carlie Wheelus of Atkins. Freshman Kyndal Whitmore of Bentonville serves as the team’s alternate, while freshman Jynah Trotter of Russellville is the team’s energy leader.
The team began preparing its competition routine in February, balancing choreography development with intensive practice schedules and fundraising efforts to support the trip.
“We have had many 6 a.m. practices, night practices and two-a-day practices,” said Darling, one of the team’s captains. “It has been non-stop. We have been sore and fatigued, but we still showed up and tried our best.”
Darling said the decision to compete at nationals came from within the team after years of discussion.
“For the past few years, we’ve always mentioned nationals and always wanted to go,” she said. “We love what we do on campus, but competing is an extra step for us. All of us are very competitive, and it just happened that this year was the year.”
The program’s resurgence comes under the direction of head coach Krystal Shipp, who joined ATU three years ago and is also an instructor of curriculum and instruction and director of the university’s early childhood education program.
“I was here when she came in, and she really changed the perspective on our team,” Darling said. “She presented competing as a question, whether we wanted to do it, and she’s been there every step of the way.”
While the NCA championship is a national competition with winners and rankings, Darling said the team is focused on the opportunity itself.
“I define success as showing up and doing it,” she said. “We have made so much progress, even in just the past month. Going and doing it to the best of our ability will be a win for me.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: River Valley natives power ATU cheer’s return to nationals
Continue reading...
