The Lausanne cheer team returned home from their second trip to nationals in as many years as a team on the rise in the Memphis cheer scene after finishing ninth in the nation.
The Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) National High School cheerleading competition is the most prestigious national cheerleading event in the country. Held in Orlando, teams have to first qualify at a UCA regional competition to earn a bid to nationals. The Lynx punched their ticket to Nationals by finishing second in their regional competition at the Landers Center in Southaven in October.
In 2018, over 800 teams, 15,000 athletes and 50,000 attendees attended the National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC).
There are two ways teams can compete: a regular routine and/or a game day routine. There are also different divisions based on the number of people on your team, whether you have male cheerleaders and what type of skills your team utilizes. Lausanne competes in the Small Varsity Non-Tumbling Game Day division. Only 28 teams qualify for nationals in this division from across the country, and in the finals, the Lynx finished ninth.
"Last year we placed 20th out of 23 teams in semi-finals and did not even advance to finals. We made a leap that most teams cannot do in just one year’s worth of time," said Bobbie Simon, the coach of the team.
The squad will lose four seniors to graduation, but Simon says the sky is the limit for Lausanne cheer.
"We're so proud of this team, and can't wait to see what they do in the future!"