OLLU Spirit Earns NCA and NDA Bids to Nationals

SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 9, 2023) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) competitive cheer and dance programs both were awarded bids to Nationals in the prior weeks, which will be held in Daytona Beach, Fla., from April 10-14.

This was the third year that OLLU spirit hosted the National Cheer Association (NCA) and National Dance Association (NDA) on campus for the training camp. Head Coach Crystal Brock commented, "Team camp with the NCA and NDA allows our student athletes to be challenge with new skills and become stronger technically as a team. We face many hurdles that encourage students to communicate and server each other. Last year, in our first NCA nationals' appearance, we made OLLU proud by representing our campus and community. We want to make history this year and comeback with hardware and bragging rights. We are excited for the new year and grateful for all the support."

Assistant Coach Joe Gonzalez helped Brock prepare for the upcoming training camps. He stated, "This week was a great week for our student athletes. We've told them that it's normal to not be perfect and that making small mistakes is how we learn and improve. They have learned that by having patience, humility and perseverance, the challenges that they faced and conquered only allowed them to grow as athletes and individuals."

The competitive cheer and dance teams will compete in Nationals for the second consecutive year. Both programs have qualified three separate times now, but the COVID pandemic haltered the first year of competition. Skylar Lloyd is the senior captain of the cheer team and said, "My greatest moment of camp was watching the drive that everybody had. I'm very grateful for the mentality we have, because when someone is succeeding, we're all succeeding." Madison Smith is the co-captain of the dance team and commented, "The long hours of practice leading up to the NDA bid day was worth it when we finally received our invite to Nationals. I can't wait to go to Daytona with this team!" OLLU spirit will perform at various sporting and community events throughout the upcoming seasons.