The Sacramento Cheer Squad will travel to Orlando, Florida Jan. 12 to14 to participate in the cheerleading nationals at MGM Studios, to be aired on ESPN.

Currently, the squad has raised $9,700 and is desperately seeking contributions and other fundraising ventures to meet the goal of $12,000 required to attend the event.

The 22-member squad has been working hard to raise money over the course of the last year. During the summer, the squad raised money sponsoring a “little cheerleading” clinic and by working at the California State Fair in August.

“Being a member of the squad is a huge time commitment, which makes it difficult to keep large fundraising projects on the agenda,” said Lauri Harris, Sac State squad coach and Western Regional Manager for the Universal Cheerleaders Association.

Harris is a 1993 graduate of Sac State, where she cheered for four years. She has returned to her alma mater and is currently the cheerleading coach here on campus.

The squad practices three days a week from 6 to 10 p.m. on top of the volleyball and football games, promotional appearances, and the basketball games now in full swing. In addition, as the squad members are also trying to carry a full load of classes and work, it has been difficult to find the extra time to raise money for the squad.

“It’s hard to find time to fund-raise because we are always cheering for a sport, making appearances for the school, or practicing,” said Josh McCurdy, Sac State squad member.

The divisions for cheerleading are the same as in football: Division I, I-AA, II, Junior College and Open. The Sac State squad falls into the Division I category.

In order to qualify for Nationals, the team needs to put together a videotape which includes a crowd-oriented cheer, a crowd-oriented sideline cheer, and 90 seconds of assorted cheerleading skills.

When the squad arrives in Florida, it will turn in another 90-second videotape with footage of the squad leading the Sac State crowd. The squad receives a score out of 20 which accounts for 20 percent of the overall score for the competition.

“In the videotape qualification we placed first in the West in Division I and seventh in the nation for Division I. We are very confident that when we put our routine together and go to compete that we should place in the top five in the nation. With this being our first year to compete, this is a huge accomplishment thus far,” Harris said.

The squad is very anxious to share its talents with other squads and spectators.

“It is a great opportunity to travel across the country and establish a respectable reputation and prove that we are building one of the top cheerleading programs in the country,” said Josh McCurdy.

Although Sac State’s multi-talented squad is on its way to the Nationals, the journey has been difficult.

“There are so many teams across the country that compete and give scholarships and have tons of money in their budget to recruit the best cheerleaders,” Harris said.

Even though the Sac State squad doesn’t have a surplus of money and is unable to provide its athletes with scholarships, it has been very successful.

“All of our cheerleaders support themselves; we pay for our own schooling and housing, and scholarships would really help out, just as they do for all other athletes,” McCurdy said.

For contributions, please contact Harris at 278-CHEER or via e-mail at [email protected].