March 17, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With one of the top spirit programs in the country, it's no wonder UCF is in high demand to make public appearances in the Orlando area. Lately, however, the Sunshine State isn't the only area that the Knights are taking center stage, as they have continuously visited several other countries working with the Universal Cheerleaders Association.
Junior Lauren Whitt will be leaving for her trip to Trinidad & Tobago March 22, joining UCF alumni cheerleaders Jackie Martin, Ashley Cowan and Tim Johnson in making appearances and doing exhibitions throughout the country. The four will be gone for an entire week.
Since the airing of UCF's Cheerleader U show, a handful of Knight cheerleaders and coaching staff have been traveling abroad to participate in performances and clinics designed to promote the growth of cheerleading overseas. Assistant coach Randy Brown, who is also fluent in Spanish, was selected to travel to Chile over the summer to teach a clinic.
Also last summer, former UCF cheerleader and All-American Jackie Martin (2003-2006) traveled to Poland where she performed as a member of Team USA. In the fall, Jackie was joined by former team member Tim Johnson (2004-2007) in traveling to Columbia to judge a competition and help to select the Columbian national team, and in October they both went to Scotland for an exhibition and to teach a clinic.
Over the Christmas holidays Tim Johnson, Ashley Cowan and Jackie Martin traveled to Australia for two weeks where they taught clinics and did exhibitions around the country.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.