Final Results
DAYTONA BEACH – University of Hawai'i cheerleaders placed first and fifth respectively in the Partner Stunt Division at the National Cheerleaders Association's Collegiate Cheer Championship held in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Saturday. Partners
Kristin Kowalkowski and
Kelvin Lam won the prestigious event and
Amanda Lucero and
George McGuire captured fifth place.
Both UH squads executed clean routines that were filled with high difficulty stunts. The partners performed in reverse order of their video submissions ranking. Lucero and McGuire, who ranked sixth coming into the competition, were the first of the two UH couples to perform. Upon finishing the crowd of an estimated 15,000 spectators roared with enthusiasm as Lucero and McGuire nailed their routine cleanly for a score of 9.01.
A few minutes later, the duo of Kowalkowski and Lam, who were seeded fourth, took the stage and hit their electric routine cleanly, executing one difficult stunt after another. Their technique and skill were exhibited in their intricate execution. The two finished to a huge ovation from the crowd and judges. Kowalkowski and Lam tallied a final score of 9.69 to—two one-hundredths over the second place team from Louisville—to win the first NCA/NDA Partner Stunt Championship in school history.
The couples were judged on technical skills, choreography, teamwork, creativity, and showmanship. The top 18 teams in the nation showcased their routines at the Band Shell amphitheater in front of a packed audience.
“I'm so proud. These four have worked extremely hard over the past two months to prepare for this competition.” said head coach Mike Baker. “They not only worked hard as parters, but these four have worked together and helped each other to create the most dynamic routines possible.” Baker explains, “We actually removed some of the most difficult skills that they are capable of executing to give us best chance to have a clean programs. We also practiced a little outdoors, so we were able to deal with different elements--looking up into the sun, etc. It made a difference because the competition was held outdoors and I think it might have affected some of the pairs.”
“Kristin, Kelvin, Amanda, and George are all seniors, and are all exceptional people. They have meant a lot to our program. All of them represented the University and the state of Hawai'i extremely well and showed the nation the quality of athletes we have and the level that our program has attained,” Baker expressed.
“We had to make some last minute adjustments to our set routine during our warm-ups,” explained
Lam. “We had to cut ours down a stunt or two because we realized we were running a little over the time limit. I think we were all a little nervous, but once we hit the first skill, everything just clicked and both of our teams executed to the best of our abilities. We had made a pact before the competition to each other that each of us would give everything we had--no holding back. Once you make a promise, you have to keep it.”
The NCA Collegiate Championship is the largest of its kind in the world. The competition is broken up into seven dance divisions and eleven cheer divisions separated into various categories, including the Partner Stunt event.
In 1995, UH's Paul Groom and Jodi Olerking won the partner stunt division of the Universal Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Championships.
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