UNE Cheer, although only listed as a “club sport” for the University, brings a lot of spirit to the community both on the field and on the mat. Every year, once the new team has been announced, they get right to work by starting their season off preparing for National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) Camp at UMass Amherst in Massachusetts.
During this camp, participants have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of coaches, bond as a team, and begin sharpening their skills for the upcoming season. They also compete for a paid bid to Nationals.
During the beginning of their season, they perform on the sidelines at UNE’s home football games and prepare for NCA nationals in Daytona Beach. This national competition is held every spring for college and university teams across the U.S.
During the months leading up to Daytona, the team spends three days a week practicing for both nationals and football season. The team performs at every home football game for UNE while simultaneously creating a routine for the NCA that is packed with stunts, dancing, tumbling, and more to impress fans and compete for a national championship title.
“I am filled with pride every time I look out and see them on the big field and performing for their hometown crew. A lot of the school doesn’t see what they do at nationals, where they’re ranked 6th in the nation. So it’s really nice to show it off to our community and share the school spirit,” said Alison Bromski, head coach.
Since 2017, the team has placed within the top 10 at NCA College Nationals six times. Their highest placement before 2025 was 4th in the U.S. in 2018 and 2022 for Division III collegiate cheerleading.
“I love that this team is focused on the little wins just as much as the big ones. It is such a joy to see their faces light up with every new skill, have them present solutions to overcome a challenge, hear them praise moments of resilience, and know they celebrate the progress each day. They treat every failure as a learning opportunity, communicate to fix it, and go again–counting each accomplishment as if it were a trophy,” said Bromski.
UNE Cheer began their journey to Daytona Beach and were set to perform on Thursday, April 10th. The scoring is divided into two days. Day one is ‘prelims,’ which gives the team a chance to perform their routine once and see where they stand in comparison to their competitors. Day two is ‘finals,’ where the team competes for the 2nd and last time of the season. This scoring is then calculated by combining the team’s score from day one with the score of day two. Day two has a greater overall impact, accounting for 75% of the total score.
After the Nor’easters took the stage for day one, they were in the #1 spot with a score of 96.32 out of 100 against 14 other teams in their division.
After hearing the third-place team announced, the girls waited anxiously to find out if they were going to be returning to Maine as NCA national champions. The announcer then called out the 2nd place team’s name, and our Nor’easters knew at that moment that they had just made history.
“Taking home that trophy and becoming a National Champ was amazing, but stepping on that mat for the last time and feeling so confident in our team was pure joy,” said senior captain Sarah Pointer.
More information on upcoming events can be found on UNE Cheer’s social media platforms or requested via email to [email protected]. Watch the routine that ranked #1 in the nation here.
