Harvard Cheerleading returns to NCA Nationals in Daytona Beach, FL

After a two-year break from Nationals, the Harvard Cheerleading team went back to the beach this season! With Coach Stephanie and Assistant Coach Pamela Usukumah’s help, the team finally was able to qualify and compete at NCA Nationals for the third time in the history of the program!

Receiving a bid early in the season after NCA Camp, the team went right to work putting together a competitive routine, training new skills and stunts, and fundraising to get to Nationals. The team started their competitive season with a big win at the Bravo All Star’s Spring Classic, taking home first place in the college co-ed division! Keeping the momentum going, the team welcomed old teammates, friends, and family to their spring exhibition at the Gordon Indoor Track. The team performed their nationals routine for a crowd of about 40 fans, enjoying the chance to perfect their performance before heading down to Daytona Beach.

Finally, in early April, the team packed up their poms and headed for the NCA National Competition! After all the long hours of practicing and fundraising, the team was excited to show off their hard work and improve on the program’s former Nationals appearances. With a great warm-up behind them, the team took the stage and rocked their routine, hitting almost every stunt and tumbling pass! However, a few advanced skills in their routine that were not allowed in the Intermediate Division cost the team big deductions, causing them to just miss qualifying for the final round of competition. Determined to come back and put on an even better performance in the Challenge Cup later that day, the team spent the next hour practicing in the grass and replacing the skills that had cost them deductions. Even with the new changes, the team nailed their routine, giving their best performance to date and hitting every skill in their routine. They were extremely proud of their performance and took home fifth place in the Challenge Cup! While they didn’t qualify for finals, they were very happy with how they represented their team and their school, and the program is excited to keep improving when they return to Nationals next year!