Cheerleading | 4/7/2015 5:14:00 PM
The Lions won both the Stomp and Shake and the Cheer Battle titles at the HBCU National All-Star Cheerleaders and Danceline competition held at the Prince George's (Maryland) County Sports Complex on April 4. In its first competitive bid ever, the squad won both of the categories it performed in. The 13-member squad beat St. Augustine University, Shaw University and North Carolina Central University to claim the Stomp and Shake category and beat North Carolina Central University and St. Augustine University to claim the Cheer Battle title. Tiara Greene (Philadelphia, PA/Delaware Valley Charter HS), a junior from Philadelphia, led the squad as its captain. In her third year as coach and first year as head coach, Tiffany Harrison has worked to implement unique routines and tumbling sequences in all of their performances. Harrison, a former member of the Lincoln cheerleading squad, said how proud she is of the squad.
"As an alumna, I am elated that the cheerleaders made Lincoln history by winning the competition in multiple categories and as the coach I was so happy to be able to have been a part of the wins. This team has come such a long way from when I first started with them three years ago. This was their first competition; they showed up and showed out. They worked very hard this year and these wins were the perfect way to end this season. Coach Fredericksen and I couldn't be prouder."
The Stomp and Shake portion of the competition highlights the HBCU style of cheerleading. The squads were encouraged to use props, signs and costumes to support their performance's theme. The Lions adopted a boxing theme for the 5-minute performance. All of their music tied to theme and they incorporated fight moves such as punches and high kicks in their cheers and dances. The Cheer Battle routine was a head-to-head battle with the other schools, each completing three battle cheers.
Dr. Darryl Pope, director of athletics also praised the efforts of the cheerleaders.
"This win shows how competitive our cheerleaders are and how far they can go when given the chance," Pope said. "The compound word 'cheerleaders' really speaks to the Lincoln Lions squad but should now be flipped – they are leaders by example and deserve a resounding cheer." The competition ended the cheerleading season. Tryouts for next year's squad begin next week. This is the second championship won by Lincoln teams this year as the women's cross country team also won the CIAA cross country championships in the fall.
