SMU Pom Team - National Champs

[SMUPhil]

Hey, I have to give props to the pom/dance/Mustang Motion team for winning the Chick-Fil-A national championship. This is going to be on FSN April 25th, so hopefully some nice publicity for SMU. We should be winning stuff like this every year. Good job girls!

Pom squad wins nationals


by A. Neely Eisenstein, Copy Editor, aeisenst@smu.edu
April 21, 2006


The SMU Pom Squad is the 2006 National Champion in the open division of the Chick-Fil-A Cheer and Dance Collegiate. The win was even more impressive due to the fact it was the squad’s first year to compete in the competition.

The squad performed a two-minute jazz/hip-hop routine. Approximately 5,000 dancers entered in the competition, and SMU came in first place.

“After the competition the feeling was amazing. We walked off the stage, and all of our families and the entire cheerleading squad was chanting S-M-U!” said Jordan Johnson, captain of the Pom Squad.

Pom Squad members can usually be found dancing at football games and pepping up the crowd. They are true spirit junkies.

The competition routine was very different from what the school often sees the girls doing.

“Dancing on the field for football games is strictly about entertainment for the crowd. We dance to the wonderful SMU band, but we are limited to moves we can do on grass,” said Emily White, a sophomore Pom Squad member. The competition routine incorporated more technique and more difficult moves, added White.

“This was more like the dancing we all did in studios growing up rather than spirit dancing on the sidelines,” said Johnson.

The girls started working on the winning routine back in December, “but really it’s a year long process of commitment and thoughts on the team and coach’s part,” said Johnson. Beginning second semester the girls took on intense workouts and extra practices in preparation for April’s competition.

While the majority of SMU students were lounging on the beach during spring break, the Pom Squad was hard at work practicing for Daytona. It even picked up a few two-a-days.

“Our coach has a great way of knowing when to have a hard practice and when to take it easy with us because of school stress,” said Johnson.

White attributed the win to the squad’s coach.

“We got an incredible new coach, Lori Lewis. She had so much faith in our team and she pushed us to be the best dancers we could. Without her we wouldn’t have even gone to competition.”

White explained that the squad did not believe they were good enough to compete. Prior to this year the squad was discouraged about competing and told it was not college competition material. The girls proved that wrong by taking first place in Daytona.

Coach Lewis believed that all the squad needed was a little encouragement and perhaps some outside help.

The squad hired a choreographer that helped them for three days and critiqued a practice run of the routine at an SMU basketball game.

The girls raised the money to fund the trip primarily on their own, and Student Senate contributed about $5,000. The girls sold calendars and received donations from private sponsors, which helped them make it to Daytona.

“Just going to nationals brings in more talent. If you win, you bring in even more,” said SMU Spirit Coordinator Zac Brannon.

Expectations for next year are high. Johnson, the only senior leaving the team, is confident the squad will continue to be successful, “The group of returning girls we have are all very talented and fully capable of leading a new team to a repeat success at nationals.,” Johnson said.

Tryouts for the 2006-2007 Pom Squad will be held this weekend, April 22 and 23.

[DiamondM75]

We now have a national pom dance squad at SMU and we will still be watching little kids try to wear oversized BB uniforms and make baskets for halftime entertainment in Moody.

Shawn, get the message? Let the band play and the pom dance squad perform the halftime shows.

[Bergermeister]

"pom squad"... catchy name. Congratulations.

[SMUPhil]

They used to be "Mustang Motion", and I agree "the SMU pom squad" doesn't really catch the ear.

Anyone got more name suggestions? Add them to this thread.

Hilltop Honeys
Pony Pom Girls
Dallas's Dazzlin' Dancers

[LonghornFan68]

Nice. Congrats to them.

[BUS]

First a new coach and then National Champs.

How cool and WAY TO GO!

[tmustangp]

The competition routine was very different from what the school often sees the girls doing.

“Dancing on the field for football games is strictly about entertainment for the crowd. We dance to the wonderful SMU band, but we are limited to moves we can do on grass,” said Emily White, a sophomore Pom Squad member. The competition routine incorporated more technique and more difficult moves, added White.

“This was more like the dancing we all did in studios growing up rather than spirit dancing on the sidelines,” said Johnson.

then why don't they do it at the games.. it will put more butts in teh seats.. especially at the bball games where the students will be up close to them...smu should have one of these girls ever year be invited to the dallas mavericks dance team ... they are cute and can dance WHY NOT

[Bergermeister]

"Mustang Hoofers"

[SMUPhil]

tmustangp,

I assume she meant that the moves they did for the competition included more "studio moves" (as in, can be performed on hardwood studio floor, but not on grass), and that the grass makes it hard to have a routine with certain moves in it for football games.

And I agree, the Cowboys Cheerleaders and Mavs Dancers should both have more SMU alums among their ranks.

Oh, and one more:

"Peruna's Prancers"

[PonySoprano]

How about Phil's Fillies (at least during football season).

[Pony_Fan]

Good job.

Seems a bit ironic with one of the worst student body and alumni fan support in the nation.

[RGV Pony]

"pom squad"... catchy name. Congratulations.

Beats UTEP's "Golddiggers," IMO, however accurate the name may be.

Webmaster: Don't you think a nat'l title is worth a photo of the day?

[Col. Nathan R. Jessep]

....
Anyone got more name suggestions? Add them to this thread.

Hilltop Honeys
Pony Pom Girls
Dallas's Dazzlin' Dancers

Uh, how about "Nat'l Champs? Let's not re-write the script.

[PonyPride]

Webmaster: Don't you think a nat'l title is worth a photo of the day?

There are several already loaded into the Photo of the Day rotation. Next one comes up Wednesday, I think.