May 06, 2019 at 10:49PM
A Sherman cheerleading squad is going to a national competition in Orlando. (KTEN) SHERMAN, Texas -- A group of Texoma cheerleaders are getting a rare opportunity to compete in a national event in Florida.
For the first time in the gym's history, cheerleaders from the University of Gymnastics in Sherman are headed to the D2 Summit at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
"When I found out we were going, I was so excited!" said cheerleader Natalie Dannel. "I cried tears of joy."
Over the past three years, Natalie has spent a lot of her time tumbling in the gym, quickly learning that landing a spot at nationals is earned and not given.
"There were some practices where I wanted to give up because it was so much hard work," she said. "I was really tired, but at this point, tired does not exist."
To get to this point, the cheer team had to prove their worth against nearly 50 teams in the area.
"They're undefeated," said Director of Cheerleading Tara Melton. "There's something special about them."
Now the stakes are even higher as they get ready to compete against the best of the best nationwide.
"I think the most teams I've competed against was 10 or 13," said Dannel."So, to compete against seventy-three or seventy-four teams is really crazy."
And as they pack their bags, the team hopes to return to Texoma as national champions.
"All of your hard work goes into two minutes and 28 seconds," Melton said. "I know they're absolutely going to kill it."
A Sherman cheerleading squad is going to a national competition in Orlando. (KTEN) SHERMAN, Texas -- A group of Texoma cheerleaders are getting a rare opportunity to compete in a national event in Florida.
For the first time in the gym's history, cheerleaders from the University of Gymnastics in Sherman are headed to the D2 Summit at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
"When I found out we were going, I was so excited!" said cheerleader Natalie Dannel. "I cried tears of joy."
Over the past three years, Natalie has spent a lot of her time tumbling in the gym, quickly learning that landing a spot at nationals is earned and not given.
"There were some practices where I wanted to give up because it was so much hard work," she said. "I was really tired, but at this point, tired does not exist."
To get to this point, the cheer team had to prove their worth against nearly 50 teams in the area.
"They're undefeated," said Director of Cheerleading Tara Melton. "There's something special about them."
Now the stakes are even higher as they get ready to compete against the best of the best nationwide.
"I think the most teams I've competed against was 10 or 13," said Dannel."So, to compete against seventy-three or seventy-four teams is really crazy."
And as they pack their bags, the team hopes to return to Texoma as national champions.
"All of your hard work goes into two minutes and 28 seconds," Melton said. "I know they're absolutely going to kill it."