Honolulu - The UH cheer squad's performance that earned them third place in this year's National College Cheerleading Championships will be aired this Saturday at 9 am on ESPN.
In February, Hawai'i competed in the IA division, the highest level of competition at the nationals that are held annually in Orlando, Fla. On the telecast, you will see how UH stacked against teams from Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and many more. Because the competition is one of ESPN's higher rated shows, it will be shown periodically throughout the year on both ESPN and ESPN2.
After placing 13th last year, the 2005 team vaulted their way past perennial powerhouses such as Texas, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Arizona State, and Penn State respectively. Third place ties the highest showing ever for Hawai’i in 15 years participating in the prestigious national competition.
"You work all year for that one shot. The pressure of performing in front of a national and international audience is enormous," said head coach Mike Baker. "Some things we had done better in practice and earlier performances at home, but overall I am very happy with how well we did. We are one of the few teams that looked like they loved what they were doing on stage."
Note: Fifteen percent of the overall score comes from a "crowd score." This is determined from video submitted of game footage with the cheerleaders interacting with the crowd. Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, the footage sent was sparse and may have had an outcome on the final tally. In 2004, UH had been given a score of 14.9 out of 15 possible points. But this year, they only recieved 12.7 out of the same 15 points.
ESPN Air Dates:
College (Division 1A) Hip Hop / College Cheerleading Championship
March 19, 2005
Time: 9:00 – 10:00 pm (Hawaii time)
March 25, 2005
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
March 26, 2005
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
April 2, 2005
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
April 10, 2005
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm (Eastern Standard Time)
