The UTRGV Coed Cheer Team is set to compete Friday at the 2020 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championship at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
“What the goal is, is that, of course, we want to make a big impact, represent the university, represent the Rio Grande Valley,” Student Activities Director Cindy Mata-Vasquez said earlier today.
The national competition is the most prestigious college cheerleading championship in the country, according to varsity.com.
Mata-Vasquez said the team is aiming to place in the top three.
“Last year we didn’t place in the top three,” she said. “This year, that is our goal.”
This is the first year the newest member of the spirit program, the UTRGV mascot, will join the team, Mata-Vaquez said in an interview with The Rider.
“We’re excited to see what they do this year,” she said. “Now that we took additional members, our mascot, of course, I think will make a big impact. Just the personality that the mascot has and then the addition of the pep band will bring a whole new atmosphere to their routine.”
In order to qualify, the team submitted a choreographed routine in the Fall 2019 semester, according to Mata-Vasquez.
The team will compete in the coed division against many universities across the nation, such as the University of Texas at El Paso, University of Delaware, William Paterson University and Long Beach State University, among others.
University DraftHouse in Edinburg will host a watch party at 11:15 a.m. Friday, according to a Facebook post uploaded by the UTRGV Cheer and Dance-Spirit Program page. The team is set to perform at 11:20 a.m.
Varsity.com states it will also livestream most of the competitions on its website to its subscribers.
“I’m very proud of our teams, all of our students that make up our Spirit Program, our coaches, our spirit program adviser,” Mata-Vasquez said. “They work very hard to make sure our students get the best so that they can perform at their best. I can’t wait to see, on social media, how they do, what they do. But, I want them to enjoy themselves, have fun and definitely, if possible, bring back the trophy.”
