Going into each new season, the Cal State Fullerton dance team selects a team motto for the year ahead, a word or phrase designed to define, motivate and unify the Titans through months of rigorous practices and training to prepare for a single goal — a national championship.
This year’s motto: consistency
“That’s just what we wanted to be all season long,” Titan Dance Coach Jennie Volkert said.
The Titans were indeed consistent, and at the highest level.
The CSUF Dance Team won its 18th National Championship in the Division 1 Jazz competition at the Universal Dance Team Championships, held Jan. 12-14 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.
CSUF also placed 3rd in the nation for its routine in the Division 1 Pom category.
“We were just so excited,” said Volkert, who has served as head coach since 1997 and has been the coach for all 18 national championship teams. “The competition is really tough, and all the teams are good. And everybody kind of has their own style, and dance is very subjective, so you never know what the judges are going to want. We just stayed focused.”
The competition was tougher in this year’s championship, with the UDA adding a preliminary round for the D1 Jazz category.
More than 30 teams competed in the first round, 20 teams advanced to the semifinal round, and then 10 teams advanced to the final round, which was won by the Titans.
“It was scary going into it knowing we were going to do it three times,” senior co-captain Carissa Hobbs said. “Normally we do it twice. But honestly, going through it three times, when we got to finals, I know we were way more confident stepping on that stage, and we knew what we needed to do because we had already done it two times.”
The road to the championships begins in April when tryouts are held.
This year’s group of potential dancers was the largest and most talented ever, said Volkert, who was herself a Titan cheerleader, performing on the…
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