Posted on: Saturday, November 9, 2002

UH cheerleaders to get national TV time

By Stephen Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Let's raise a glass and offer "Good Cheers!" to the University of Hawai'i's most consistently successful athletic program.

For the sixth consecutive year, the UH cheerleaders placed first in the NCAA Division I West Regional, an area that spans from Texas to Hawai'i.

As a region winner, UH earns an automatic berth in the finals of the Universal Cheerleaders Association's College National Championships. The nationally televised final is scheduled for January in Orlando, Fla.

Head coach Kellie Mikami praised the 25-member squad, which overcame inexperience and a short practice schedule to outplace such national powers as the University of Washington and the University of Texas.

Mikami noted the UH squad includes several underclassmen who were pushed to become leaders after being used in limited roles last year.

Although "the experience wasn't there," Mikami said, there still was the pressure to live up to the program's rich tradition and master the complicated routines.

Each school was judged on a 90-second routine in which the cheerleaders choose from a menu of 25 skills. The videotaped entries were submitted to UCA officials by the Oct. 29 deadline.

Mikami and her two assistants, coach Jamey Gossett and consultant Erika Buder-Nakasone, picked the routine. Mikami shot the videotape and assisted in its editing.

The cheerleaders worked on the routine during their rare free time. The cheerleaders perform at more than 60 events each academic year, including all home women's volleyball matches and football and basketball games.

The squad receives 13 tuition waivers each year. "A lot of them do it for love," Buder-Nakasone said.

Sixteen UH cheerleaders will perform at the finals. UH's best national finish was third in 2000. Kentucky, the 11-time national champion, is again the favorite.

Here's the UH roster: Casey Anderson, Melanie Aurio, Natalie Bowie, Patrick Boyer, Michael Clark, Jason Dela Cruz, Justin Davis, Matthew Dillon, Sasha Dominy, Rodney Dunlap, Danielle Feducia, Doug Hussey, Sheena Jackson, Eric Johnson, Tina Kuribayashi, Bo Ng, Stacy Pak, Ludia Park, Nicole Rockey, Stefanie Sahl, Leslie Sanchez, Henry Santos, Michael Solick, Anthony Williams and Emily Zukowski.