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The Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) co-ed cheer squad and Norse Stars dance team recently competed in the 2021 United Spirit Association (USA) West Coast Spirit Championships and were named champions of the College Game Day – Fight Song division. “Both teams came together and pushed beyond their limits to bring this championship home,” said Anna Hart, NEO spirit co-coach. “As coaches, we are so very proud of our team’s hard work and dedication. They came. They worked. They succeeded!”

NEO Spirit is under the direction of Anna Hart and Nita Hanes, who arrived at NEO in 2018. Coming from a competition background, the pair were focused on giving squad members the chance to compete on a national stage. The title marks the third in two years, with the 2020 cheer team winning the Large Co-Ed 2-Year division and the Norse Stars winning the Hip-Hop 2-Year division at the USA Collegiate Championships in 2020.

Founded in 1950, USA is one of the leading spirit competition programs in the country. The USA Collegiate Championships is its crown jewel competition, with nearly 15 divisions and thousands of competitors each year. However, due the COVID-19 restrictions, the competition was canceled and teams competed virtually in the USA Virtual West Coast Spirit Championships. NEO Cheer and Norse Stars will perform during Golden Norse Football home opener against Trinity Valley CC on March 27. Videos of the NEO Spirit performances are available on the NEO Coed Cheer & Norse Stars Facebook page. To find out more information on becoming a member of the NEO spirit program, contact Hart at Anna.Hart@neo.edu or Hanes at Nita.Hanes@neo.edu. (Photo: The NEO Spirit Squad)