UCA is adding STUNT to the variety of varsity teams already established on campus.
STUNT would be UCA’s 19th sport (11 women’s and 8 men’s), adding to the extensive list of teams. Placement tryouts for the sport are already being considered.
Director of Athletics Brad Teague released a statement announcing the team’s creation on UCA Sports on March 2.
“We will continue to have a cheer and dance squad. STUNT will add 30 to 35 new students with a new head coach,” Teague said.
The new coaching position salary will be $40,000, with a preference of a master’s degree.
UCA Sports said in the statement that STUNT is based on aspects of cheerleading, but operates differently.
“The sport focuses on the technical and athletic components of cheer, including partner stunts, pyramids, basket tosses, group jumps and tumbling,” UCA Sports said. “Teams compete in short routines head-to-head on the floor at the same time and the team that executes the skills best wins the round and the point can determine which routine level will be called next.”
STUNT is traditionally broken up into four quarters: partner stunts, pyramids and tosses, jumps with tumbling and combined routine.
The new team will hold practice in the Prince Center.
Teague said that the sport’s popularity inspired his department to bring STUNT to campus.
“STUNT is popular in Texas and Oklahoma,” Teague said. “This gives us a great space for recruiting. Many [Division I] universities sponsor STUNT.”
STUNT is currently thriving in the realm of female sports throughout the country. It is governed by USA Cheer, with over 60 universities around the country including NCAA and NAIA varsity teams, along with club teams participating and competing in the sport.
STUNT will allow students to use their cheerleading skills in a different format.
“This is a great opportunity to provide more access to Division I competitions for female student-athletes. This sport will enhance our offerings at Central Arkansas and add to the campus as a whole,” Teague said.
The search for a head coach to lead the team is in progress, with the desired start date being April 1.
“We are excited to hire our leader of this new sport and will do so in an efficient manner,” Teague said.
Freshman Emma Palmer is currently on the cheer team and wants to try out for STUNT.
“I found out about the STUNT team from a notification from the UCA Athletics app,” Palmer said. “To my knowledge, there is still not a coach and there is not a tryout date. There is not a set team yet.”
Palmer said that cheer and STUNT are closely related.
“By observation at other schools, there is a lot of crossover from the cheer team to the STUNT teams, so I assume that the programs will be pretty close,” Palmer said.
Palmer said that she is excited about the upcoming season and what it will bring.
“I am very excited about the opportunity that UCA has presented for female athletes and can’t wait to see where the program goes,” Palmer said.