Lancers to Officially Add STUNT in 2020-21
1/13/2020 2:30:00 PM | Cheerleading, Stunt
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University has announced plans to add STUNT as a sport for the 2020-21 academic year and has hired Brandon Seagondollar as the new head coach of the program on Monday.
"We are excited to provide another opportunity to showcase and provide opportunities to compete for our outstanding female athletes," Director of Athletics Dr. Micah Parker said. "STUNT participation continues to increase across the nation with D-I athletic departments, including many in the West region. We feel like we have the facilities and coaches to be able to compete successfully right away."
CBU is an eight-time United Spirit Association champion and a seven-time champion in National Cheerleaders Association after winning it all in 2019. Before joining Division I, the Lancers dominated Division II, winning seven USA Championships and six NCA Championships.
At the beginning of its transition to Division I, the Lancers are excited about adding STUNT as a sport. The team is planning on playing 12 STUNT games next year, according to head coach Brandon Seagondollar.
"The addition of STUNT means more opportunities for our student-athletes, new adventures, and endeavors for the athletic program," said Seagondollar. "STUNT is another avenue in which CBU can glorify God through the student-athletes and give the university more opportunities to share our passion, show the community what CBU stands for, what our athletes stand for, and what we represent as a whole."
STUNT is the fastest growing female sport in the country, according to USACheer.org. "It removes the crowd-leading element and focuses on the technical and athletic components of cheer, including partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, group jumps, and tumbling."
Teams perform short routines head-to-head on the floor at the same time. The team that executes the skills best wins the round, and the point and has the opportunity to determine which of the routine level will be called next. There are four quarters of play in the sport: partner stunts, pyramids & tosses, jumps & tumbling and team routine.
"We at STUNT and USA Cheer are extremely excited for California Baptist to be adding a STUNT program to their athletics department! With CBU having a long tradition of extremely talented cheer athletes and being in California, the heart of where STUNT is an official high school sport makes them the perfect location for a collegiate STUNT program. We know that with their long-standing tradition for excellence, that their program will quickly be one of the best in the country and be a great location for high school female athletes to continue their STUNT careers while getting a top-notch education," said Lauri Harris, Executive Director of USA Cheer.
