March 19, 2007
The Terps defeated the University of Virginia at the UMBC Grand Championship in the Retrievers Activities Center at the University of Maryland - Baltimore County on Saturday. Testing their stimina, the team competed Sunday in the Battle at the Capitol at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.; they claimed their second victory of the weekend by beating Morgan State.
"I gave the girls one simple goal, hit a clean routine without any falls, said head coach Jarnell Bonds. "The girls had not done this since their first competition in December. Seniors Mimi Cuff and Tiffany Otey showed theri experience and strength as always. The dance section was especially strong on Saturday."
"The team had plenty of momentum going into Sunday's performance where they faced Morgan State. The girls maintained their poise after experiencing an unusally rushed warm up. Dana Smith had more responsibility this weekend by performing full twisting basket. Her partner stunts were very solid with perfect form. Dana is very consistant with her stunting and a great performer. They were awarded first place as the ACDC Battle at the Capital. Keeping up with the girls commitment to community service team captain Olivia Odom suggested that they donate the winter varsity jackets that they won to a homeless shelter."
This week the Terps will be working on their crowd involvement section of the routine for nationals. This section is worth 11 points, the same amount as tumbling and stunting. The team lacks experience with crowd involvement since they do not cheer at games.
