UCA

The Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) hosts camps and competitions, helps IHSA with competitions, and helps high schools hold cheerleading tryouts. At cheerleading camps, staff members can "app" high school senior cheerleaders. This means they are asking the high schoolers to tryout to be on staff. At camp this past summer, Lauren, Kelsi, and I were all "apped." I went to tryouts this January and made the team!

Being a part of UCA staff means being part of all the great things they do for cheerleading in the Midwest. As a staff member I must attend spring and summer training before I can instruct camps. Spring training happened to fall on Prom :( but there are other dates for other regions of the country that I can attend!

Summer training will be in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin! After summer training, I must commit to eight weeks of working camps this summer! This may sound like a lot of cheerleading, but camps are usually only Monday through Thursday. That means every weekend off!!!

UCA is a great opportunity to meet new people. I have been lucky enough to do so already. At tryouts I met many people I will work with this summer. I met a couple U of I cheerleaders and was able to talk to them about cheering there!

-Kelly J.