Kori Boe said they left it all in Orlando, Florida.
Their voices. Not the trophies.
“I get chills even speaking about it,” said Boe in a horse croak from yelling all weekend.
The Grand Canyon University Spirit Programs spoke loudly – yelled it really – by winning five national championships at the UCA/UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Not only did the Lopes win their fourth consecutive national title in Game Day Live in their division, which combines Cheer, Dance, pep band and mascot, but the Cheer team captured the Small Co-ed Division I national title, and the Dance team won its first-ever national title in Division I Jazz.
“People tell us they watch our videos to know how to win Game Day. We wanted to show them that’s not all we can do,” said Boe, in her second year as Cheer coach.
“Our motto all year is ‘#GBG’ – Go Be Great. Our assistant coach (Megan Bamford) brought that to the team, and it’s not worrying what anybody else does, but what we can do.”
And that was, indeed, great.
GCU also captured national titles in Open Mascot for Thunder’s performance, and the Thundering Herd Pep Band won the inaugural College Pep Band competition.
“We knew we are winners. Now everyone knows we are winners,” said Jesi Weeks, Spirit Programs Senior Manager. “Everyone else is seeing what we’ve seen.”
Weeks was delighted that the Dance team broke through after numerous top finishes in one of the nation’s toughest competitions.
“(Jacque Genung-Koch) really built that program for the past 14 years. This is really a testament to how much she has grown it,” Weeks said.
Dance coach Genung-Koch said what sets her team apart is that it’s less about individuals trying to be the shining star and more about humility and “being there” for teammates.
“Getting it right versus being right is the phrase we use on our team, how to talk to one another, how we treat one another,” she said. “It’s a spot of humility to come from and focusing on what really matters.”
Through the years, tricks and tumbling difficulty has ramped up, but GCU’s focus was not to keep up with the arms race but on “the art of dance,” she said.
The Cheer team has a similar mindset.
Since the last time they won the Small Coed Division in 2021, the competition has become stiffer, and powerhouse programs such as Morehead State University and the University of West Georgia were a big hurdle.
The difficulty level has increased each year, but GCU focused on execution.
“Our goal was to hit it twice – do your job, hit the routine and go to finals,” Boe said. “And when we did, we were so happy that we were warned for excessive celebration. But that’s not where our story ended. We saw we were only .1 points behind the leader.
“So I told them, ‘Put your blinders on like a racehorse.’”
In the finals, block out the crowd, the expectations. What happened was a seamless routine with multiple perfectly-timed flips and handstands.
“I felt like I was in a movie. We hit the routine, and there wasn’t a dry eye,” Boe said. “Still, we were hoping for top three. When they called third place, you could see all their faces drop.
“But then when they announced second place to West Georgia, they were literally vibrating.
“It was the best weekend of my entire life,” said Boe, the former Indiana cheerleader who came home to watch the Indiana football team win a national title on Monday night.
Weeks said the support of the university and the enthusiasm of the Havocs that create a game day atmosphere at sporting events has propelled the Spirit Programs to be the cream of the crop in Game Day. Commentators at the event marveled at both the precision between the Cheer, Dance and pep band members while maintaining a sense of excitement and fun.
Now that spirit is increasingly being rewarded in the other competitions.
“We went in locking on each other and representing our program,” said Genung-Koch. “We literally never talked about winning. When you take your eyes off everyone else and what other people think about you, your authentic self shows through. That kind of mentality paid off.”
Grand Canyon University senior writer Mike Kilen can be reached at [email protected]
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