William Jewell College

Dance and Cheer Teams Receive Awards at
National Competition

William Jewell spirit team head coach Linda Chappell sits at her desk and smiles. Since her dance and cheer teams returned from the College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 13-15, she's been radiating more pride than the golden glow coming from the two new additions to her already well-adorned office.

Sure, she could tell you all about how her teams performed at Nationals, but the two towering trophies speak for themselves. "I really am very proud of both teams," Chappell said, still beaming. "This is a lifetime

memory. There are milestones in people's lives, and competing at Nationals is one of them."

The dance team qualified for Nationals, which were held at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex, in both jazz and hip-hop, placing 8^th in hip-hop in the Open Dance Division. The cheer team, which competed in DII Small Co-ed, placed 7^th.

"I felt like everyone from Jewell was so in the zone, and was really trying to do their best." Chappell said. "I really feel like we did our best when we got down there. That's the most important thing."

Senior dance team member Jill Bryant would agree with Chappell that Jewell's "best" this year was pretty darn good. Performing the most technically advanced routines of her four years in the program, Bryant saw the 2006 results as a reflection of improvement in both the senior class and the programs as a whole. "All around, these are the best dances we've taken down there," said Bryant, who competed at Nationals three years. "It was the best year at Nationals."

As in past years, the Jewell teams competed in the open division of both categories, against schools 10 times their size. Of the 24 NAIA conferences, only the Heart of America Athletic Conference had teams qualify for Nationals. Jewell placed the highest of any NAIA school in cheer, but placed behind Lindenwood and Avila in dance.

"We are one of the smaller schools that are actually in the competition," Chappell said. "Schools like Orange Coast College have 20,000 students." Chappell noted that this level of competition only makes her athletes better. "It really helps my program for my kids to prepare to compete," Chappell said. "And besides competing in it, we also got to see the best of the best from around the country all in one place."

The experience gained by practicing for and competing at Nationals is already evident in the improvement of the team. In 2005, dance placed 7^th in hip-hop and 10^th in jazz, but cheer did not qualify for Nationals. "I have so many seniors in dance, just knowing where they were four years ago and to see them do a fabulous job at Nationals and really grow in their personal development and friendships, that really means a lot to me." Chappell said.

Chappell said her teams could not have been successful in representing William Jewell without the support of faculty and athletic staff members. "The focus of our program is to serve William Jewell College," Chappell said. "We appreciate the opportunity to represent William Jewell and to build something special for the school."