Brittany Reigelsperger | Contributing Writer
The Old Dominion Spirit Squad Cheerleading Team made history on Friday. The team traveled to Daytona Beach, Florida for the two-day competition and returned as the NCA (National Cheerleaders Association) Intermediate All-Girl 1A National Champions.
Head coach Carmen Harris and assistant coach Dr. Melvin Farland took over the Spirit Squad in 2013. It has been the goal of both coaches to transform ODU’s Cheer and Dance team from sideline-based to competition-focused. They led the Cheer team to the national competition in 2015, but were eliminated after one day of competing. They would not return to Daytona Beach for the 2016 championship in part due to their poor performance at the 2015 competition and also not being able to obtain a higher paying bid at a championship qualifying camp.