Aug. 11, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa spirit squads attended camp at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Aug. 3-7. The camp, which was hosted by the Universal Cheerleaders Association and Universal Dance Association, had over 1,300 participants, including a number of collegiate teams from across the country.
The Iowa dance team placed third in home routine and recieved superior trophies for their traditional fight song, individual routine evaluations, and a Collegiate Recognition Award. All of the dancers received blue ribbons on their individual routines.
The UI cheerleaders took first in sideline competition, showing off their ability to lead the crowd in a game situation. They also placed third in cheer competition and fourth in home fight song competition, all of these were in the Big Ten Division. The squad also recieved Most Collegiate and Game Planning Awards.
Herky mascots also had a great showing at camp, earning collegiate recognition. They stood out in the camp’s final mascot routine presented to the entire camp. With some of the top mascots in the country in attendance Herky showed he can entertain with some of the best, while learning from some very experienced mascots.
“With all three teams being recognized at camp the way they were, it gives us a great starting point for the rest of our year,” said Gregg Niemiec, Iowa’s spirit coordinator. “All of the teams represented Iowa well at camp and had other teams turning their heads to see what Iowa was doing. I could not be more proud of the hard work they put in at camp, as we springboard into the rest of our year.”
The Iowa dance team, Iowa cheerleaders and Herky will be working towards qualifying for the UCA/UDA College National Championship, which will be held in Orlando, Fla., in January 2012. Last year the dance team placed in the top 10 at Nationals in two separate catagories for the first time in school history.
Look for the spirit squads on the sidelines at the first home football game vs. Tennesee Tech on Sept. 3.