CWU dance team prepares for first-ever trip to nationals

The Central Washington University dance team will compete alongside some of the best college dance teams in the country early next year when it travels to the United Spirit Association (USA) Collegiate Championships.

For the first time in club history, the team of 13 CWU dancers will test its skills against top programs from the University of Oregon, University of Idaho, Boise State University, Northern Arizona University, Colorado State University-Pueblo, and dozens more.

The February 15-16 event in Anaheim, California, represents the beginning of a new era for the growing CWU sport club, which has never performed at such a prestigious competition.

“We usually just perform at halftime of the CWU football and basketball games, but we are trying to make it more competitive,” junior co-captain Amy Sisson said. “This is the first time we’ve ever traveled out of state to compete, so it’s a pretty big deal.”

Presley DeJesus, foreground left, is one of the lieutenants for the CWU dance team, along with Gabrielle Edmonds, pictured background left. In the photo at the top, co-captain Beth Gibbons does a one-handed hand stand as co-captain Amy Sisson, left, cheers her on. (Photos courtesy of CWU student Javier Angulo).

The annual USA Collegiate Championships brings together community colleges and four-year institutions from around the country to compete in cheer, dance, and mascoting. Nearly 1,000 collegiate athletes are expected to compete across 15 divisions at the 2025 event.

The CWU team entered two divisions — Pom and Hip Hop — and the dancers are planning to put in hours of extra rehearsal time over the next 10 weeks to get ready. They will continue to practice three nights a week this winter and will add four-hour practice sessions in the Nicholson Pavilion dance studio on Saturdays leading up to the competition.

As an added bonus, a coach from the University of Idaho spirit squad, Jordan French, has been working with the dancers to help them perfect their routines.

“Our competition routines are more dynamic than our halftime routines, and they require a lot more movement,” junior co-captain Beth Gibbons said. “We still have work to do, but we feel like we are ready to compete on a bigger stage.”

Gibbons, a leadership and management major from Tumwater, added that the team’s goal is to reach the final round — and, if the stars align, earn a spot on the podium.

“It would be amazing if we could place, but we just want to put on a good show,” she said.

Sisson explained that the biggest difference between competing at nationals and at CWU sporting events is the complexity of the routines and the level of precision required.

“The halftime shows are just about having fun, but these competitions are more about technique and choreography,” said the dance major from Albany, Oregon. “We only have a couple minutes to show off all of our best tricks, and we have to execute them well to get a good score.”

Both of the team captains are proud about the direction the CWU club is heading, and they both plan to return to their shared leadership roles next year. Most of all, they are excited to see the team explore new heights as it builds toward the future.

“Our main goal is to keep the momentum going,” Sisson said. “Going to nationals is great publicity for us, and we hope to see the team keep growing after we graduate.”

“It’s a lot of work, but we love it,” Gibbons added.