TYLER, Texas — The Tyler Junior College Apache Cheer team is back-to-back national champions.
"Daytona is the NCA (National Cheer Association) College Nationals and it’s the largest– I think they said like 750 teams from across the country came," Tammy Rose, TJC head cheer coach, said.
The team became the 2024 NCA Collegiate National Champions for the intermediate large co-ed division during the NCA Nationals this past weekend in Daytona Beach, Florida. They won the same title last year.
"Being able to come back and do the exact same thing and score even higher than we did last year is a feeling that you almost can’t describe to anybody. It’s finally meeting that goal that you’ve worked so hard for your whole life," TJC cheer veteran Barb Waller said.
Another TJC veteran member Lexie Stanley said NCA has a motto: The work is worth it. And she agrees when teammates put in the work it is worth it.
"Just bringing it back to Tyler and seeing how the Tyler city has supported us and now giving this back to them, it means a lot. I mean we couldn’t do it without our city and the support that we have here," Rose said.
In an Instagram post, the team wrote in a caption, "Back to Back NCA Collegiate National Champions has a nice RING to it #feathersup #ACUF." In 2022, the team was the NCA Nationals runner up.
