Hair flipping, emotions flying and passion flowing through the room, the cheer team electrifies the gym. This past summer, the cheer team traveled to the Great Wolf Lodge to participate at the Universal Cheerleaders Association camp. 

“We learned tons of material that will benefit us for football games and pep rallies,” senior Kennedy Milam said. “The bond we created will last a lot longer than just a four-day camp.”

Beginning on July 28 and ending Aug. 2, the cheer squad competed against 16 different high schools and other middle school teams. The girls came first in camp routine and earned a total of five All-Americans.

“I credit our success to the fact that we all worked together and created a family with each other,” Milam said.

This year’s camp was Coach Meredith Conlin’s first time competing at UCA with the Broncos.

“Conlin stood out to me because she knew how to let us have fun and create lifetime memories while still making sure we were putting in work,” Milam said. “She was encouraging and stern at the same time, which was really beneficial for us.”

The camp taught the girls lots of new routines and sent them home with plenty of material that could benefit them for the rest of the year.

“The girls really learned resilience,” Coach Conlin said. “They learned to trust each other, and we will continue to build these skills as the year progresses.”

During the competition part of the camp, junior Kamdyn Corwin won Jump Off, a head-to-head competition with other cheerleaders, where they performed many different stunts.

“While I was the one who won, it was more of a team effort,” Corwin said. “We all had to put our best foot forward and work together to win.”

At camp, the judges decide the “best team” for a given day, and that team receives a foam banana to represent the girls’ success.

“It really meant so much to me and the team,” Milam said. “We were one of the most spirited, energetic and fun teams at camp.”