Aug. 7, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa spirit squads competed at the Universal Cheerleaders Association/Universal Dance Associations (UCA/UDA) camp Aug. 2-5 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The Iowa dance team placed third in home routine, where they bring a dance from home to compete with. The team also received “Most Collegiate Recognition”, “Program Improvement” and “Gold Superior Recognition” for their home fight song performance.
Herky mascots performed well in their skit and character walk evaluations, receiving the “Most Improved Mascot” honor from the camp staff.
The UI cheerleaders claimed first in sideline, second in cheer and third in home fight song during the competition. New in 2012 was a game day championship, taking into account all areas of cheerleading and combining them into one award. Iowa claimed first in that competition for the Big Ten Division. The team also received “Most Collegiate”, “Game Planning”, and “Leadership” recognition. Leadership is one of the biggest honors, as it is voted on by the other teams for the team that they would most like to be a part of if they were not on their own.
“All three teams did great at camp,” said Gregg Niemiec, Iowa’s spirit coordinator. “The teams represented the University of Iowa in a great manner, both skill-wise and their overall school pride. The teams turned it on at camp and I look forward to them continuing that throughout the year, starting with football and volleyball in a few weeks.”
The Iowa spirit squad will be present at football, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling throughout the year, as well as hundreds of other events. All three teams will also be working on returning to UCA/UDA Collegiate Nationals that take place in January 2013 in Orlando, Fla.
Look for the Iowa spirit squads on the sidelines at the first football game at Solider Field in Chicago, when the Hawkeyes face Northern Illinois on Sept. 1.