24th NCA & NDA collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship
This week (April 9-13) in Daytona Beach is the place to be for college Cheer and Dance teams as they compete for the coveted titles of 2014 NCA or NDA Collegiate Champions at the largest College Cheer and Dance Championship in the world.
Almost 7,000 student athletes and coaches from 35 states, Japan, Canada and Costa Rica will test their technical skills, showmanship and game day abilities against the best of the best! Spectators will support the cheer teams Thursday in Preliminary competition and team Finals on Friday.
Eleven (11) Dance Divisions and 17 Cheer Divisions separate teams by designation of All-Girl or Coed, skill level, style of dance and university enrollment (Division 1, 1A, II, III), Junior College and NAIA.
The Challenge Cup ensures that all teams perform twice, with two chances to make Finals (divisions of “5 and under” all make Finals). The National Championships continue with the Partner Stunt, Group Stunt and Mascot divisions Saturday morning. Immediately following, Hip Hop Divisions I, II and IA will compete in their Final competition.
The first NCA College National Championship was held at SMU in Dallas, Texas in 1981. The event was moved to the sunny shores of Daytona Beach in 1996, where it has now reigned for 18 years against the beautiful backdrop of the Band Shell stage and coastline sunsets.
The Roanoke valley will be well represented in Daytona with four natives participating with three different schools. Jill Neville, Cameron Shoe, Alex Tant and Emily Suiter.
Neville is 2nd from left
Jill Neville, a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill is a 2nd year member of the UNC All-Girl Cheerleading team for UNC.
Tant, Silver and Shoe
Cameron Shoe, a Junior at East Carolina is a 1st year member of the ECU All-Girl Cheerleading team for ECU.
Alex Tant, a Freshman at East Carolina is a 1st year member of the ECU All-Girl Cheerleading team for ECU.
Suiter far right
Also, Emily Suiter, a freshman at NC State, is a member of the small Co-ed cheerleading squad for NC State.
Carly Silver, cheers at UNC W - Although her team is not competing in Daytona, she is another local college cheerleader.
At some point in their cheerleading career each of these girls were a member of Valley Cheer in Roanoke Rapids. Suiter also spent her last years as a member of Cheer Extreme in Raleigh.
