In just her second year as the head coach of the University’s cheerleading team, Anne Marie King has already led the team to the top of the national rankings.

This weekend the squad will compete in the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) National Championships in Orlando, Florida.

King is an alumna of the University’s cheerleading program and earned a degree in psychology before going on to get two master’s degrees. In 2008 she assumed the head coach position and under her leadership the team has climbed the national ranks.

The team has been extremely dedicated under her leadership, contributing 15-20 hours a week. The squad practices four times a week, has a lifting schedule, attends study tables and cheers at games and events.

“In addition to school, cheerleading really is a part-time job,” Senior Andy Gibson said.

This year the team’s dedication has paid off in the form of a number six ranking in the small coed division, heading into Orlando. The team will take this ranking into the Wide World of Sports Complex this weekend against Oklahoma, Syracuse, Villanova and 12 others. If the team makes the finals of the national championship, which is the top nine teams, they will be televised on ESPN.

One of the best teams the squad will see is Morehead State University.

Assistant Coach David Clemons came to the University from Morehead State, where he won two national championships. His experience with that team has helped him and King push this year’s squad to the level they are at now.

“He’s done a lot to help us, especially for the guys,” Gibson said. “He can show us what to do as opposed to just tell us.”

However, to make it to Orlando, the team has had to pay their own way through fundraising efforts throughout the year. Each member had to raise $1,100 by putting on clinics, asking for personal donations, judging high school competitions and volunteering at Cedar Point.

The $1,100 covers their flight, hotel room, a park pass for their day off and a stipend for meals.

To get to this point and be competitive, the team has needed to stay healthy in a sport, that as studies show, is among the leaders in injuries. All season King has been preaching safety and it has rubbed off on the team.

“Safety is biggest and most important in our minds,” Gibson Said. “If the NCAA regulations say that we can’t do a certain stunt on a certain floor, then we don’t do it.

Senior Nikki Harris points out that cheerleading is becoming more athletic than it used to be, but cheerleaders are getting smarter about injury prevention.

“We use mats and spotters in practice to avoid all of the injuries we can,” Harris said. “There are going to be accidents in cheerleading but those are coming from the uneducated cheerleaders who are trying to push the limits.”

Part of injury prevention is also having the right members on the squad, which is a difficult task for King since the University is unable to offer scholarships to recruit.

“Without scholarships to offer, we need to find other ways to recruit students, both out of high school and on campus,” King said.

The team holds showcases, takes advantage of campus fest and actively seeks out University students who have the physique and dedication necessary to become a cheerleader. King has been successful in this aspect as well as others and has pushed her team to become competitive at a national level.

After watching her team all year, King is optimistic about their performance this weekend. When asked about her team’s chances to make the finals, she confidently said “We should.”