OBU Athletics/the Bison
STUNT team took home some big wins this past weekend.
Anthony Williams
Assistant Sports Editor
The Oklahoma Baptist University stunt team went 20-0 Saturday February 8, 2020 in Oklahoma City against Dallas Baptist University.
The Bison have started the season undefeated and plan for a successful year.
Although cheer and stunt may look the same, they have their differences.
“When we are cheering on the sidelines, our job is to be loud, doing chants, in order to get the crowd involved in the game that is being played,” health and human performance major Hollie Steele said.
“When we are at a stunt game, we’re the ones competing,” she said. “We play against other schools. Essentially both teams are doing the same routine at the same time; the team that does the best routine gets a point. Games are divided into four quarters. Quarter one stunts, quarter two pyramids, quarter three tumbling and quarter four [are all] combined into one routine.
Steele also said competitions important for STUNT in general.
“Stunt games are currently in the process of merging into becoming a way to make cheerleading a recognized NCAA sport,” she said.
One of the reasons for this team’s early success is the motivation.
“I would say our motivation for each other is what pushes the team to do good. We know our potential and we try to perform at a high standard,” senior health and human performance major Alexis Mixon said.
For Mixon, team cohesiveness is important.
“Not just one person can pull off a win; it requires all of us. We are one big team and can’t do it without each other. I love how this stunt group has unity,” Mixon said.
Another reason for the Bison’s success is setting team goals and taking it one game at a time.
“Our team goal is to go undefeated in conference and get ranked top four to go to nationals,” Mixon said.
Help from the new transfers and underclassmen make the goal more attainable, she said.
“Many freshman and transfers have stepped up and fulfilled big roles. They are eager to learn and hungry for a win. The newcomers learn very quick as well which helps us a lot because we learn more routines,” Mixon said.
The nine seniors on the team all work to keep the group moving in the right direction.
“We have several leaders on the team like Aleigh Leduc, Mickayla Corvi and Alexis Mixon,” Steele said.
“Their experience helps so much because they went through everything already. All of our seniors do a good job stepping up and leading by example in their own special areas,” Steele said.
The support from fans is appreciated by the Bison.
“Fun support is really important at stunt games,” health and human performance major Mikayla Corvi said. “A loud crowd and sideline keep the game fun,” she said.
“Especially when a game is very close, crowd involvement really takes the atmosphere to the next level. One of the best feelings is doing a routine really well and then hearing the loud screams and excitement coming from the stands,” Corvi said.
The Bison believe the success started in this past off-season.
“The fall is technically considered our off-season,” Corvi said.
But we practice year- round just like we would in the season. We go by the saying of ‘you practice how you play.’ This team works really hard at trying to reach our full potential and be as good as we can be,” she said.
The Bison’s next STUNT game will be against the de- fending champions at Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri February 21 and 22; then the following weekend they take a trip to compete against Dallas Baptist in Dallas.
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