The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack cheer team brought back a third and fourth place finish after battling the best in the world at ICU University World Cup Championships Jan. 14-15 in Orlando, Florida.
The athletes competed in two different disciplines, earning bronze in the All Girl Game Day division and fourth place in the biggest at the competition, the University Premier All Girl division.
“Our team showed up,” says Meaghan Blakely, the WolfPack co-head coach, adding that the competition is the highest level in the sport for collegiate cheer.
“Not only did our student athletes handle the pressure professionally, but they also showcased strong sportsmanship, and had a blast while doing it.”
The trip to the World Championships was the second in program history. In January 2020, the team placed fifth in the University Premier All Girl division.
“Our scores reflected strength in our pyramid execution, stunt execution, routine overall and baskets. Our weaknesses were our tumbling, stunt difficulty and pyramid difficulty,” Blakely explains.
“For us to become more competitive, we will be focusing on maintaining our strengths, but also see if we can increase the difficulty in our routine across the board.”
Finishing just .4 points behind Brock University in the Game Day competition, the WolfPack received no deductions and earned a score of 86.26, placing them in third.
Alexx Greenfield, the team captain and third-year athlete, says competing at worlds was unlike any other experience she’s had.
“Exhilarated is the only word I can use to describe my feeling while walking off the mat," she explains. “The stakes were high and I knew I gave it everything I had. I was so proud of my team and thrilled that I got to share this moment with them."
While the cheer team was flawless throughout most of their University Premier All Girl routine, they were deducted four points after a late fall.
They finished with a score of 75.4 points, placing them in fourth.
Sarah Harris, a first-year athlete, says it was thrilling to know all of her stunts hit.
"Even though the team didn't hit zero, I still think we had an amazing run and I was very happy,” she adds.
Maria Banman, a first-year athlete, says she has never felt more proud of something.
"It was a feeling of relief that my stunts hit with a non-stop smile," she explains.
The next competition that the WolfPack cheer team is set to compete in will take place in March at the Provincial Championship in Victoria, where they will be aiming to defend the Game Day provincial title they won in 2022.
Heather Crawford, the co-head coach, says she is looking forward to continuing to push the team to grow and reach new heights.
She adds: "We plan to upgrade their routine to increase our difficulty scores for upcoming competitions, and I love to see how excited the teams get when they hit a new skill.”
