Penn State Cheerleaders Return To National Competition

2-7-96
University Park, Pa.--Penn State cheerleaders didn't take a break after their show of support for the Nittany Lions football team at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Instead, they traveled on to Orlando and the National Cheerleading Competition, where the 16-member squad placed 14th in the country and 4th in the Big Ten.

"Each squad was judged for crowd participation, difficulty, gymnastics, choreography, synchronization, and projection," Coach Flood said. "Crowd participation includes the squad's ability to produce crowd reaction and involvement, and the projection category consists of both the cheerleaders' voices and personalities."

The University of Kentucky won the Jan. 8 competition, which was sponsored by the Universal Cheerleading Association. About 100 cheerleading squads participated in the event.

It was the first time in roughly six years that the Penn State squad participated in the competition. The squad entered as the top seed in the northeast region, one of four regions in the nation. Because of its high rank, the squad did not have to compete with other squads in the semifinals, but instead advanced directly to the championship.

Nick Indegilo, a cheerleader who competed in the event, said that because the squad was young and had not competed for several years, it was not as seasoned in competitions as other universities at the event.

Yet Indegilo is quick to add that the experience was indeed a positive one. "We established our presence in the competition, which we hope the squad will continue," he said. "That was our main goal."

An upcoming ESPN program on the event will feature the Penn State squad, but no broadcast date has yet been set.

**jp**

Contacts:
Christy Rambeau
(814) 865-7517 (office)
(814 237-9046 (home)
cmr7@psu.edu

Alan Janesch
(814) 865-7517 (office)
(814 867-3621 (home)
axj12@psu.edu