Jan. 14, 2012
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Junior Morgan Ferrell provides an inside look at UCF's memorable trip to Nationals with her online blog, only on UCFAthletics.com.
By: Morgan Ferrell
Today (Friday) was our last official practice until Nationals! Time has certainly flown by! Everyone has dedicated months upon months of hard work in preparation for this special weekend! Earlier, we hosted our annual practice for visiting teams including LSU, Tennessee, Ohio State, and Mississippi State. The energy at the UCF Venue was tremendously high. This would be the first time for each team to showcase their routine in front of other schools.
Each team brought their own unique flare and I'm excited to cheer them on at the competition! Even LSU coach, Chico Garcia checked himself out of the hospital to support everyone. Chico suffered a devastating boating accident last August that left him paralyzed from the neck down. His dedication to his team at LSU is unwavering and it was great to see him doing well. In addition, former UCF cheerleader, Shizue Endo (from Japan) sent three of her cheerleaders all the way across the world to watch us perform. Although the girls didn't speak much English, they were so happy to be there! They were such a joy to be around. It is always so wonderful to perform for people who truly appreciate our hard work!
With so much going on during the visitor practice, I am proud to say that we were still extremely focused. It's astonishing how much the routine has come together in a few short weeks! I feel like my teammates have matured as athletes as well as individuals. Everyone is confident and focused on the task at hand! After we performed and hit the routine twice, coach Gooch handed out the daily UCF logo stickers for our hard hat. The stickers are beginning to overlap since we are consistently hitting the routine! The competition starts today, there are only two more chances to perform and nail a perfect routine. Like assistant coach Stefan Domenig always says, "One thought, one skill, one team, one goal." Let's get this show on the road!