Spirit Squad shines at National Championships
February 06, 2019 | General News, Spirit Squad
Bucky Badger, Dance Team finish sixth in nation at elite event
Traveling Jan. 18-19 to Disney World for the national competition, both the Badgers' mascot — Bucky Badger — and dance team finished sixth overall amongst a highly-competitive field of Division I collegiate programs. Fans can catch the UW Dance Team as part of the UDA College Dance Championship (Pom) on upcoming ESPN broadcasts. Watch ESPN2 on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 12 p.m. (ET) or ESPNU on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. (ET).
"Overall, this year's nationals weekend was an amazing representation of how hard we've worked all year," said Gabi Kim, a UW junior, team captain and three-year member of the squad.
"I'm most proud of the team for working together towards the common goal of doing our absolute best at nationals. So much teamwork has to go into a routine looking synchronized and we were all committed to the long hours of practice it took to get there."
Bucky Badger placed sixth in the Division 1A mascot finals after performing a one-a-half minute skit with up to 10 props. Eight members of the mascot team traveled to nationals in total with only one Bucky Badger performing in the final. All members helped to create the skit and build the props. The famous Badger qualified for the event after submitting a video last November. The top 10 mascots were then invited to compete at nationals, with 50 percent of the final score based on the qualifying video. Among Big Ten programs, Minnesota, Penn State and Ohio State also competed, with OSU's Brutus Buckeye taking top honors.
"This year our team refocused and worked really hard to make a great skit," said Shane Hoffman, a third-year Bucky Badger. "We spent a lot of time on the props to make them really exciting for the crowd and judges.
"It was so cool to see Bucky perform doing what he does best on that stage! I can speak for our team when I say we are extremely proud of the hard work we put in and seeing Bucky move up two places was awesome, because that's really hard to accomplish!"
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The Wisconsin dance team's sixth-place finish in the Division 1A Pom finals marked the Badgers' 19th-straight year finishing in the top 10 at UDA College Nationals and the highest finish for the team since 2009. The young team, featuring no seniors, traveled with 18 student-athletes hailing from five different states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and California).
"I am extremely proud of this team and all we accomplished this year at UDA Nationals," said Claudia Koch, a first-year dance team captain and three-year member. "After spending so much time and hard work on our routines, we felt really confident going into the weekend and competing against other talented teams at such a high level. We have a very special group this year and I really think the bond we shared with one another was evident on stage. It is an honor to represent the University of Wisconsin and I am excited for the future of UWDT."
Wisconsin competed in both the Jazz and Pom divisions. In the Jazz semis, UW placed 15th overall and just narrowly missed advancing among the top 13 to the finals in a very tough 26-team field. In the Pom semis, the Badgers finished sixth and earned one of the final seven spots out of 14 teams. Wisconsin's Spirit Tape received a perfect 15 out of 15 points and was a part of their final score.
"I'm extremely proud of how hard the UW Spirit Squad works all year to support our Athletics teams and be true ambassadors of our Athletic Department and University," said Josette Jaucian, the Director of the UW Spirit Squad.
"In addition to all of the time they dedicate to the University, the dance team and Bucky Badgers have been hard at work to get ready to compete at the national level. The planning and preparation starts in the spring after tryouts and continues throughout the year, with a final intense push in January to finalize and polish their competition routines. The performances at the National Competition were truly some of the best we have had in years and both teams were rewarded with sixth place finishes. It's great to be a Badger!"
