BARTLETT, Tennessee — The BYU Cougarettes have been selected to represent the United States in the US National Team Cheer Hip Hop division at the 2019 International Cheer Union World Cheerleading Championships, April 24-26, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resorts.
The Cougarettes are coached by Jodi Maxfield, along with Jamyn Miller and Shandon Perez. Maxfield has been the head coach of the BYU Cougarettes since 1990, and her teams have won 16 NDA National titles, four of them in the Hip Hop category.
“BYU is honored, thrilled and excited to be chosen to represent the US National Team in the Team Cheer Hip Hop Division,” Maxfield said. “This is an incredible honor not only for our dancers and alumni, but for BYU and the community. We look forward to the memorable cultural exchanges that will inevitably take place through this opportunity.”
The ICU World Cheerleading Championships features a variety of team competitions in areas such as freestyle pom, jazz, coed, all girl and hip hop. In 2018, teams from Australia, Chile, Ecuador, England, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Philippines, Scotland and the United States participated in the Team Cheer Hip Hop Finals, with Japan taking the gold, Philippines the silver and USA the silver.
“What an honor it is to have BYU represent USA Cheer in the Team Cheer Hip Hop division at the ICU Championships in April,” says Stacy Shelton, USA Cheer Director of Dance. “BYU has such a rich tradition of excellence in competitive dance and I know they will be nothing short of incredible on this international platform. The Cougarettes bring style, strength, performance quality, and athleticism year in and year out. They are going to put on a show!”
The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is the national governing body for all disciplines of cheerleading. USA Cheer exists to serve the cheer community, including club cheering, traditional school-based cheer programs and the sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: to help grow and develop interest and participation in Cheer, promote safety and safety education and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.
For more information about the BYU Cougarettes click HERE. For additional information about USA Cheer, visit www.usacheer.org, or contact Sheila Noone, media@usacheer.org.