Blue Dragons Spirit Squad to Bring the Heat to Daytona Beach

By Reyna Sanchez
Staff writer
Email: thehutchinsoncollegian@gmail.com

The road to nationals isn’t easy, but for the Hutchinson Community College spirit squad, it’s been built on discipline and belief.

This year, both the cheer and dance teams are heading to the National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Association collegiate cheer and dance championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., a national stage where only the most prepared programs compete.

Preparation for this moment has been intense, and the weeks leading up to nationals, the Blue Dragons are practicing four days a week for two hours, running full routines repeatedly, what the coach Samantha Cox calls “full outs”.

The focus is on consistent execution and making every section of the routine as clean as possible. During spring break, while most students left campus, the spirit squad stayed behind, extending practices. The Dragon Dolls trained three hours a day, while cheer practice was twice a day, for two hours at a time.

“We are running nothing but full outs and focusing on skill sections, consistency, and full execution,” Cox said.

The routines have been months in the making. The Dragon Dolls began learning routines in October, while cheer followed in December. Still, the foundation for both routines began long before that, during summer training, when the groundwork for national-level performances was laid.

“These teams are both very young, but they are incredibly resilient and driven,” Cox said.

That trust has translated into strong team chemistry, something the coaching staff has worked intentionally to develop. Visualization has played a key role, especially in many athletes competing at this level for the first time.

‘’We want them to truly see themselves as one of the top programs in the nation and to imagine what it feels like to still be standing on the stage during awards,” Cox said.

Leadership has also helped guide the dance team throughout the season. Afton Miller and Alyssa Heffern have stepped into key roles, while Britain Hubbard, Liz Weimar and Jaston Wright lead the cheer team both on and off the mats.

As nationals approach, expectations are high. Cox said she believes the cheer team has the potential to place in the top three, while the dance team is aiming for finals, an accomplishment in a division where only half of the teams advance.

“Hitting clean routines and representing Hutchinson with pride, that’s what matters most,” Cox said. “If they go out there and perform the best of their ability, that’s success.’’

With months of preparation behind them and a national stage ahead, the Blue Dragon Spirit Squad is ready not just to compete but to prove they belong.

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