On the job for just a year, University of Texas Permian Basin Head Cheer Coach Terry Lane is already rounding the squad into shape to the point where it has earned a national bid.
The NCA College Nationals will be held April 5-9, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Since she has been involved in cheerleading for some years, Lane said if they set a goal, got the national bid and started to compete and go to the national contests, it was going to be much easier to recruit.
“When you want to be a college athlete, you want to go to NCA nationals. That’s the ticket. That’s what they want and so I’m excited because it makes them work not only during football season, but then strive for excellence the whole, entire year,” Lane said.
There are 26 students on the squad — 20 girls and six boys — ranging from 17 to 26. There were nine in the group last year. On Monday, they were practicing in the upstairs gym at the UTPB gym.
“They brought me in to rebuild the program. That’s one of the things (that’s) sort of my specialty. I’ve done it with a couple of high schools in Midland. I came in, we recruited like crazy …,” Lane said.
Sixteen of the 26 can “make mat” for the competition.
“We’ll be having another tryout to be able to make that. All of them will go to nationals and support, but we will have alternates. Make mat means we perform on the mat, so that means they’re going to be the ones that are chosen to be on the mat at Daytona,” Lane said.
She added that everyone will be part of it.
“You have injuries. We have people that their grades might slip, so really it’s just pushing all them, striving to be their best so I’m really excited,” Lane said.
The beauty of getting a national bid this early is that they can work up to it the whole year.
They recruited from Dallas and Austin, but discovered a wealth of talent in the Permian Basin, as well.
They may not have been in cheer, but have been in gymnastics, for example. She expressed thanks to UTPB for the backing they have shown for cheer and making it easy for her to recruit. She has used the NCA competition and Falcon Free program as drawing cards and it’s working.
Lane also owns Legacy Elite Athletics in Midland and lets the team practice there anytime they want.
“… Cheerleading is such a group sport. We depend on every single person and if they don’t do what they’re supposed to do, then we crumble. It’s very team oriented and so for high school or college aged kids, they really love it. They feed off of it because it gives them a some sense of stability and … it keeps them accountable. I think that they just love it. They thrive with it and so I’m just really humbled that I get this opportunity,” Lane said.
She added that she was nervous about moving from high school to college cheer.
“… I think in a year, they’ve done a lot, so I just can’t wait for the future of the program,” Lane said.
The UTPB program had faltered due to COVID and losing its coach, she said.
The athletes tried to pull it together themselves, but they needed leadership.
“… It’s hard to hold each other accountable whenever you’re at that age. The age cap is … so drastic at this level. … We have 17 to 26 year olds on the team. That’s almost a 10-year age gap. That’s a lot. …,” Lane said.
She added that she doesn’t think people understand I really don’t think that the world understands cheer and what it involves.
“It is a dangerous sport; lots of injuries. That’s what my goal is right now is to keep everyone safe; do things the right way; teach them. Everybody’s coming in learning different things from different people, so kind of getting everyone on the same playing fields to keep us safe and keep us in unison …,” Lane said.
She noted that the squad will be out for every football, volleyball, basketball and soccer game and making appearances.
“We’ve been here for a week, and we’ve had six appearances already. We don’t say no to the community so it helps that when we need something from them, they’re going to help us out as well. And I feel like cheerleading kind of gets overlooked and so my job for them is to make sure that … doesn’t happen to them. So I’m their cheerleader, if you will,” Lane said.
Alarie Richter, 21, and Jericho Florez, 22, are in their third and fifth year, respectively, of the UTPB squad.
Florez said the whole attitude and atmosphere have changed, becoming super positive and energetic.
Richter said they have had a lot of ups and downs, but right now things are on the upswing and “that’s the direction we’re hoping it stays going.”
Both said the national competition is a big motivator this year.
“… I think it gets our name out into the world. I think a lot of people weren’t really appreciative of us before, but now that they know our efforts and how much we practice, how much we want it, I think it’s good to get our names out there and definitely draw in more people,” Richter said.
Florez said things were looking promising and every year things would get better, so he figured he would stay with it.
“I think a part of being a cheerleader is staying optimistic whenever you’re practicing, and especially now. I think what really helped were the … people that have been here longer, they just stay positive so it’s good for us, the newer ones, to stay positive as well,” Richter said.
