The Northeast’s most remarkable tumblers, jumpers, dancers and cheerleaders compete at Mohegan Sun Arena on January 9th and 10th
Mohegan Sun, in association with the Spirit Festival LLC, will host the Spirit Festival National Cheer & Dance Championships on Saturday, January 9th and Sunday, January 10th at Mohegan Sun Arena.
This two-day event is the largest cheerleading and dance championship in the state with over 150 teams and 3,000 cheerleaders registered to compete. The event is a qualifier to the USASF Cheerleading World Championships at Disney World in Orlando, Florida in April 2010. The two highest scoring teams in the respective World’s qualifying divisions will receive a partially-paid bid to compete at the World Championships and two other teams will receive unpaid bids. Spirit Fest will also be awarding bids to the 2010 International All-Level Championships to all of the top 3 teams in each non World’s qualifying division. One other feature this season is the addition of Scholastics and Rec teams to the event. Athletes will range from three years to 30 years of age, and teams will represent communities from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and New York. The teams with the highest skill, best choreography and the cleanest two and a half minute routine will win in each division.
The competition includes over 50 divisions, with six levels of competition ranging from beginner to elite. Teams will be judged on motions, jumps, standing tumbling, running tumbling, stunts, pyramids, tosses, choreography, dance, overall impression and perfection of routine. Banners will be awarded to championship teams from each division and the teams that receive the highest score in the super divisions will each receive $500. Over $25,000 is awarded to the teams who compete in the championship.
Tickets are on sale now at the Mohegan Sun Box Office for $30.00 for a two-day pass and $18.00 for a one-day ticket. Children under three years old will be admitted for free.
The Spirit Festival LLC is a member of the Spirit Zone Cheerleading and Gymnastics Training Center located in Hamden, Connecticut. Along with the Connecticut Spirit Association, Connecticut Spirit All-Stars and Copy Cats Gymnastics, the center’s mission is to educate and develop New England’s cheerleading coaches and cheerleaders. It trains cheerleaders and gymnasts and offers highly competitive all-star cheerleading teams, tumbling classes, recreational gymnastics classes, coaches’ clinics, practice facilities, cheerleading clinics and more. More information is available at 203.281.ZONE.
For more information on the Spirit Festival National Cheer & Dance Championships and other great events at Mohegan Sun, visit mohegansun.com. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711, ext. 27163.