Bryant Cheerleaders: National Champions

The list of reasons to be proud to live in Bryant is a lengthy one, and it just recently got longer. The Bryant High School cheerleaders won first place in the Large Varsity Non-Tumbling Division at the National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC), the most prestigious cheerleading championship in the country.

Sponsored by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA), the NHSCC was held February 8-9, 2014 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. The event included high school squads from all over the country competing for the top spot in various categories.

Bryant competed against 12 other teams from around the country including Pennsylvania and New York. The only other team from Arkansas was Springdale High School, which placed 3rd in the division.

The 28 member group (27 girls and 1 boy) learned the routine in July and immediately started practicing, balancing competition practice with preparing for football games and pep rallies once school started in August. To prepare for the competition, the squad began school day practices at 7:30 a.m., added an average of 2 hours per week of extra practice time, and scheduled practice sessions during Christmas break and Saturday practices for the month of January.

In addition to increasing the frequency of practice, the squad also increased the physical intensity of their practices. Senior member and captain of the squad Alex Nelson described the regimen. “In the off season and early in the year we worked
out several times a week. Some team members attend tumbling classes or workout classes on their own also. Upping the difficulty of our stunts and routine was like having harder training and workouts.”

For the state competition, routine choreography included a combination of dance, tumbling and stunting, but the group had to change the routine for Nationals because of limitations in the division in which they could compete. According to Karen Scarlett, Bryant High School Cheer Sponsor, Bryant competed in the large varsity non-tumbling division for the first time since attending the competition. “The divisions changed this year and large varsity non-tumbling was the only division that fit the number and make-up of our team so that everyone could compete. If we chose another division we would have had to cut 7 state champions from nationals.”

“We wanted to make the best of this division since it wasn’t exactly our plan or first choice, but taking the gold? Wow! That’s definitely making the best of it,” adds Nelson.

Scarlett is in her 5th year of coaching the group. It’s a huge commitment for her, but the time spent is well worth the reward. “By the time we complete a school year I have worked many more days over a teacher contract with Saturday practices and competitions, extra after school practices, fundraisers and community service work but I get to work with a great bunch of kids and see them grow their skills and also see them mature as young men and women. I have to admit that winning state and nationals this year was also pretty fabulous!”

There are nine seniors leaving the squad soon but they will always have that exciting memory of winning the national championship. Nelson recalls the moment Bryant’s name was called. “I was overwhelmed with pride and excitement when they announced us as champions. The first thing that ran through my mind was ‘I cannot believe this year!’

When asked about how the squad worked together as a team, Nelson had this to say. “It’s one thing for everyone on the team to have the same goal in mind, but it takes real teamwork to put in the hard work to accomplish it. When we learned we were in second place coming out of semi-finals, we realized our skills weren’t holding us back from first place; it was working together. We put all of our differences aside and exceeded our expectations and performed for the girl standing next to us. That’s when we won as a team.”

Nelson says the community has shown so much support and love throughout the whole year. “We’re so glad that we get to represent a town that has so much pride in their community.”

Perhaps no one (besides cheer parents) is prouder of the group than the Bryant School District. “A national title for Bryant Varsity Cheer is an amazing accomplishment. These athletes train hard, spending hours, weeks and months preparing for performances and competition. It’s great to see them recognized for their championship character,” says Devin Sherrill, Communications Director for the district.

The National High School Cheerleading Competition is nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2 to over 100 million homes and 32 countries each year.