Wawasee’s cheer team brought home a number of awards from its recent stint at the Universal Cheerleaders Association cheer camp at Ball State. They are pictured here holding their Top Banana Award. Pictured in front from left are Brayanna Kelly, Nyla White, Raven Brown, Awan Bautz, Kristabella Arriola, Taylor Castro, Ruby Valencia, Dalani Harper, Gaby Sigler, Lupita Camargo, Madison Smith, Aundreya Wegener. In back are Katelyn Trimble, Kylie Fisher, Charles Doss, Olivia Stuck, Apryl Wray, Avery Hurley, Paris Pruitt, Armando Rodriguez, Olivia Evans and Hayley Bartels. (Photo provided).

MUNCIE — Wawasee’s cheer team recently finished up a trip to the Universal Cheerleaders Association cheer camp at Ball State and brought home a number of accolades from the four-day stint.

The Warriors received hands-on instruction from some of the best collegiate cheerleaders in the nation and had the opportunity to interact and make friends with cheerleaders from other teams from around Indiana and Ohio — 15 teams in total. They also stayed in dorms on the trip and had a chance to bond with one another.

During its time at camp, Wawasee was given material for a Game Day performance and a Rally Routine. Game Day is comprised of a band dance and cheer to bring attention to the traditional role of cheerleading, while the Rally Routine included a dance, pyramid stunt, and tumbling to showcase the sport’s more difficult skills. On the final day, the Warriors completed both performances with no falls, great technique and lots of showmanship, earning third place in the Rally Routine division and second place overall for their Game Day performance.

Wawasee also added three girls to the UCA All-American team in Dalani Harper, Brayanna Kelly and Nyla White, each of whom will be invited to perform at special events across the nation for the accomplishment. Three other cheerleaders — Kristabella Arriola, Dalani Harper and Brayanna Kelly were given the Pin-It-Forward Award given out by instructors and other cheerleaders to people who made camp a special experience for them.

As a team, the Warriors also garnered the coveted Top Banana Award — an inflatable banana that is the physical embodiment of attending UCA camp and is awarded to the teams at camp that demonstrate qualities of leadership, spirit and the overall ability to work hard and have fun at the camp. But Wawasee cheer’s highest honor was in earning the Leadership Award, voted on by all the teams at the camp as they were asked the question “If you weren’t on your current team, which team would you want to be a part of, based on their ability to have fun, interact with others, and ability to be the best cheerleaders they can be?”

“This is the most important award of the whole camp as it shows that we aren’t only great athletes, but good people,” stated Wawasee cheer coach Chelsea Coy. “Wawasee cheer is stacked full with people who are leaving lasting impressions on those around them. We are so proud of all of our accomplishments, and we cannot wait to show our school and community what we’ve been working on all summer long.”