The UK cheerleading and dance teams will compete at the UCA/UDA Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship this weekend in Orlando, Fla. (Aaron Borton, UK Athletics)
The 2013 UCA/UDA Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship is this weekend, which means the Kentucky cheerleading team will be pursuing a record 20th title on Saturday and Sunday. The cheerleaders spend most of the year supporting UK’s 22 varsity teams in competition, but this is their chance to step into the limelight.Led by head coach Jomo Thompson, the cheerleaders brought the title back home to Lexington in 2012 after seeing their bid for a four-peat undone by Alabama in 2011. This year, the Wildcats will be looking to extend their latest streak to two championships. UK has won 19 of the 28 UCA national championships dating back to 1985 and 15 in the last 18 season, an unprecedented level of dominance for a program steeped in tradition.The UK dance team will be at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., competing in both the hip hop and pom dance categories. The event begins on Friday, but the UK cheer and dance teams will not perform until Saturday. According to the schedule published by the UCA, the Division IA pom and hip hop dance semifinals will take place at 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., respectively. The cheerleaders will compete at 6 p.m. on Saturday in the Division IA semifinals. Finals for all three competitions are on Sunday.Make sure you follow @UKAthleticsNews on Twitter for updates as results come in, particularly beginning at about 7:30 p.m. when results are announced and stay tuned for a story here on Cat Scratches late on Sunday evening. If you are interested in finding other ways to follow along, check out this page on the UCA website.