The first week of August brought the Hope cheerleaders together as they made their annual trip to the largest regional college cheerleading camp in the country sponsored by Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) in Milwaukee, Wisc.

The  squad, comprised of seven men and nine women, joined nearly a thousand cheerleaders representing colleges and universities from all over the Midwest and beyond, on the campus of the University of Wisconsin -- Milwaukee.

Over four days, the squads work on new skills, hone their safety technique, come together as a team and compete in three competitions with routines learned at camp.

With just a few NCAA Division III colleges in attendance, the Hope squad, participated in camp competitions in Division II. This very competitive division included two DII universities that were top-six finalists in last year's College Cheerleading National Championships.

Hope earned a second place trophy in the Cheer competition and a third place trophy in the Sideline competition. In the Fight Song competition, Division II was combined with Division I (non-BCS) which included 18-time and current Division I national champion Morehead State University. Even with this stiffer competition, Hope gained a fourth place finish.

In addition to their impressive showing in the competition, the Hope cheerleaders tied for the Leadership Trophy in their division with Indiana Wesleyan University. This award is voted on by the other squads in that division for the squad which they would like to be a member of, and which made everyone's camp experience more enjoyable.

With two-thirds of the women on Hope's squad being newcomers, coaches Anne Stolz and Wes Wooley are even more encouraged by this successful camp experience as a positive kickoff to the 2008-09 season.