Industry News: NCA Nationals 2022
Not rain, nor sleet, nor even hail could keep athletes from all over the United States from convening in Dallas, Texas for the 2022 National Cheerleading Association All-Star Nationals competition. The weekend-long event was a veritable who’s-who of all star programs from all over the country, competing at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center with the very best in the nation. Winners of this prestigious competition earned bids to the worlds cheerleading championship, as well as the vaulted NCA black jacket.
Although many traveling to Dallas had some difficulty getting through the snowy weather, things calmed down considerably on Friday, when preparations for the contest began in earnest. As athletes walked across the grassy knoll towards the convention center you could feel the excitement in the air, especially after the trials and tribulations of last year’s contest and strict COVID protocols.
Billed as the largest cheerleading competition in the world (a title it took from CHEERSPORT nationals a few years ago) NCA All Star Nationals has become the definitive stage upon which the best teams in the nation compete, often the only time they will share the same floor until the cheerleading world championships. NCA not only boasts the best teams in the country preparing for Summit and World’s but also includes dance teams, high school, recreational, and even a Cheerabilities division for the differently-abled. For most all star programs the NCA competition is the highlight of the year, allowing them to see broad fields of competitors within their divisions.
There were many amazing teams performing at NCA, and it would be difficult to highlight them all, but some of the most competitive divisions with some of the highest scoring teams were in the level 6 division. Here are the highest overall scoring level 6 teams from NCA:
L6 Large Junior COED Cheer Extreme Raleigh SJX 96.6167
L6 Medium Senior Woodlands Elite OR Generals 97
L6 Large Senior Stingray AllStars Orange 97.1667
L6 Medium Senior Coed Woodlands Elite OR Black Ops 97.5333
L6 Large Senior Coed Top Gun All Stars TGLC 98
L6 Senior Coed Open Large Top Gun All Stars Revelation 98.15
L6 Intrntnl Global Coed The CA All Stars Camarillo Smoed 98.4333
L6 Intrntnl Open Coed Large Top Gun All Stars Double O 99.2
L6 Intrntnl Open Coed NT Twist & Shout Tulsa Adam & Eve 99.3137
The competition was not always easy for these teams, both Stingrays Orange and TLGC overcame difficult first days to win their respective divisions. The grit and determination both teams showed on day two was inspirational. While come-from-behind wins of both teams were quite impressive, few had the full cheer experience the way that Woodlands Elite Black Ops exhibited them with their medium coed level 6 team. The team put on an absolute exhibition with their opening tumbling sequences, showing why they are one of the best teams at NCA this year.
As strong as Black Ops initial tumbling was, their stunting was even more impressive. The team began their stunt sequence with front handspring half-ups, super clean hand to hand snapdowns, and controlled stunt movement. As if that were not enough, they staged an impressive and surprisingly controlled double-twisting pull-through in the middle part of the routine. Everyone expects a lot of twisting from The Woodlands Elite All Stars, and this team was no exception, keeping the energy moving throughout the routine and using intermittent tumbling to keep the excitement level high. What really set Black Ops apart though was their innovative use of musicality with their braced flipping sequences during the pyramid combined with twisting bajas before their high energy dance. The choreography of the extended movement in the pyramid with the beat of the music helped set Woodlands Elite apart from the rest in a very competitive division. You can hear the intensity of the music in the Black Ops music video produced by CheerMusicPro.
Congratulations to all the teams that made it to NCA this year: the last few years have been challenging for programs across the nation and the world, but your hard work and diligence were on full display in Dallas!