Dance team places at National Championship By Alison Ward Dancers from William Jewell’s Spirit Team traveled to Orlando, Fla., to compete in the 2007 College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship. Aired on ESPN and ESPN2, the competition was held at Walt Disney World January 12-14. The 2007 William Jewell nationals dance team includes Lauren Burton, Jessie Keeler, Jesse Schroyer, seniors; Natalie Shaw, junior; Lauren Bobbitt, Holli Jo Heston, sophomores; Kelsey Cook, Megan Copeland, Calla Korschot, Lauren Milby, Kelly Ragsdale, Anna Winkle, first-years; Erin Henry, head dance coach, and Kylie McPhee, assistant dance coach. “We felt really confident about our dances,” Linda Chappell, Spirit Team coach, said. “We had really good choreography and I think the team had a lot of fun this year.” This was the ninth year that the dance team qualified for nationals in its two divisions: Dance (this year it was jazz) and Hip Hop. According to Chappell, the team was nationally ranked in the upper third of the Open Dance Division from their video submission. The College paid for the team’s trip to Florida as a result of its high ranking. “In all three years that I’ve gone, this was the most prepared we’ve been going into it,” Lauren Burton, senior, said. As the smallest school participating in the championship, Jewell’s dance team qualified for finals in both Dance and Hip Hop. Out of 27 teams in its division, Jewell placed 11th for both its jazz and hip hop routines. “I went there thinking that we were just a small school from Missouri,” Lauren Milby, first-year, said, “but I learned that we were able to compete with bigger schools.” Orange Coast College, a community college from Los Angeles, Cal., has placed first in the College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championship for the past several years, according to Chappell. Jewell’s dance team, however, recognized challenging teams from within the NAIA conference. Both Avila University and Lindenwood University proved to be significant competitors for the Jewell dance team at the national competition. “We’ve been really improving on our technique,” Jessie Keeler, senior, said. “We come from different backgrounds, though, so it’s hard [for everyone] to conform to one style.” Despite varying backgrounds, Keeler believes that the dance team has succeeded because of its closeness and support for each other. Although this was the last year for Keeler and Burton to participate in the national championship, underclassmen on the team can look forward to participating in future championships.