Home Breaking News National Champs: Scrapper cheerleaders earn first national title

National Champs: Scrapper cheerleaders earn first national title

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By John R. Schirmer

News-Leader staff

For the first time, the Nashville Scrapper cheerleaders are national champions.

They won the title Sunday afternoon, Jan. 26 at the conclusion of the National Cheerleaders Association competition held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. 

Nashville was named national champions in Small Intermediate Varsity Game Performance. Other schools in the Scrapper cheerleaders’ division came from Oklahoma, New Jersey, California, Missouri, Colorado, Texas and Tennessee, according to Coach Erin Askew.

The squad left Friday afternoon, Jan. 21, and practiced that night at the convention center. They performed at 11:30 a.m.Saturday. “We did a clean routine – no deductions,” Askew said. After the preliminary round, Nashville was tied for second with 95.6 points. The first-place team had 96.

In the finals on Sunday, “We had a flawless routine – no deductions,” Askew said, with a score of 96.3.

The first day counted as 25 percent of the final score, with the second day 75 percent.

When the scores were combined, Nashville won with 96.125, well ahead of the second-place team with 95.5.

When teams gathered for the awards program, Nashville was named the judges’ choice for best use of stunts. And the Scrapper cheerleaders were national champions.

The top three teams were announced from third place to first.

Nashville had won the school’s first national cheerleading championship on the first trip to NCA nationals. The Scrappers received a great deal of attention on the association’s social media, according to Askew. They were showcased among four schools which were new to nationals.

One question remained after the competition – how to get the huge trophy back to Nashville. After all, the girls were riding home with their parents and all the “essentials” for two nights in Dallas. Junior high cheer coach Kynnedi Parnell loaded the trophy in her vehicle for the trip back to Nashville, where it resides in the cheer room at the Scrapper Dome, along with the championship banner and the award for best use of stunts.

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