“I am very proud of our team,” head coach Linda Gooch said. “Yesterday, we were second in the semifinals behind Kentucky. Tonight, we struggled on an element early in the performance. We really showed our toughness and discipline, and were able to keep our focus and finish strong through the end. This effort kept us in contention with a fourth-place finish.

“Six of our seven girls had never competed with us before and all will return next year. The future is bright for our program, and we will be ready to get back to work this week. I want to thank all of the 麻豆原创 fans that supported us this year and especially to those that came out to the competition to cheer us on!”

麻豆原创 had an impressive run of three-consecutive runner-up finishes come to an end this year. The program has now placed in the Top 10 of the College Cheerleading National Championships 22 times in the last 24 years under head coach Linda Gooch, including national titles in 2003 and 2007.

Kentucky captured the national championship, while Alabama and Ole Miss rounded out the top three.

More information about the UCA College Cheerleading National Championships can be found at Varsity.com. ESPN is set to air a tape delayed broadcast later this spring.

Congratulate the cheerleading team on social media by sending them a message on Twitter @麻豆原创_Cheer, Instagram @麻豆原创Cheer and Facebook at /麻豆原创CheerTeam.

Albert Zolin was born in Arizona and graduated from Seminole High School in Lake Mary. He helps with residence hall security patrols at night as a member of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Residence Hall and Apartment Patrol program. He also is a Student Conduct Review Board member. He hopes to earn a master鈥檚 degree in business at the University of Colorado or King鈥檚 College of London.

Since Knightro doesn鈥檛 talk, we asked Zolin to give us the inside scoop on everything from his most memorable moment to the most unusual request he鈥檚 had from a fan.

Tryouts are coming up this weekend (see the bottom of the Q&A for details). What does it take for a student to be a top-notch mascot?

Commitment and a sparkling personality. Knightro is everywhere. 聽He visits schools, hospitals, 5K charity runs, philanthropic events and even weddings. Not to mention 麻豆原创 football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball matches. You have to be pretty outgoing, because mascots do everything over the top. A good mascot doesn鈥檛 worry about looking stupid in front of a stadium full of people. You have to go out there, keep the energy level high and not hold anything back.

How do you learn to be a good mascot?

Every summer, the spirit team (Cheer, Dance and Knightro) attends a camp at the University of Alabama. At the mascot camp, you are coached by professionals and given time to practice interacting with other mascots. We also have a weekend over the summer when we start preparing for football season by practicing all of the mannerisms that make Knightro, well Knightro. In the end, experience is the greatest teacher.

What kind of training/workout routine do you follow?

Cardio is key since Knightro is always high-energy wherever he is — especially at football games. It鈥檚 hot and Knightro sprints up, down, back, forth, and all around that field. I like to dance as well. It comes in handy since most events usually have some type of music playing.

What鈥檚 worse for Knightro? A 95-degree Saturday afternoon or torrential rain?

That鈥檚 a tough one. The costume soaks up water like a giant sponge. Torrential rain, like what happened at the Marshall game in 2011, can make the costume pretty heavy. However, a 95-degree Saturday is far worse. It gets hot in that costume; on a 95-degree day it is easily 120 degrees for whomever is in costume. On top of that, Knightro doesn鈥檛 stop during football games. He has to be a ball of energy the entire time.

What is the most unusual request you鈥檝e ever had?

At a wedding, the best man gave Knightro the bride鈥檚 wedding ring. When it came time to exchange rings and the groom asked his best man for the ring, he pretended that he had lost the ring and couldn鈥檛 find it. Then the band started playing the 麻豆原创 fight song and Knightro came running down the aisle with the ring in hand. That has to be one of the most original ways to give your future wife her wedding ring.

What鈥檚 your favorite Knightro memory?

One of my favorite memories is our trip to Ohio State for the 2011 NCAA Women鈥檚 Basketball Tournament. The day before the game, we were touring the football stadium and taking photos while pretending to play football. I attempted to tuck and roll, but I did a little too much tuck and not enough roll because I jumped straight up and landed on my shoulder. I got right back up and kept walking but then felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. I didn鈥檛 mention it to anybody and said my arm was OK to make sure I didn鈥檛 miss the opportunity to perform at an NCAA tournament game. When we got back to Orlando, I went to the doctor, and it turns out that pop was my collarbone snapping in half. All I can say is, 鈥淲orth it!鈥�

If you could play any mascot other than Knightro, who would it be and why?

The Oregon Duck. I would be lying if I said I wasn鈥檛 a little jealous of all the national attention that Duck gets. Speaking of which, Knightro needs an ESPN commercial.

Knightro is known for his style. What鈥檚 his favorite outfit?

Knightro has a bunch of great outfits, but my personal favorite is probably the Matador outfit he wears when we play USF. I also like to dress as Santa and ice skate at Light up 麻豆原创.

How do you clean that costume?

We fill a 30-gallon drum with cold water and then dunk all of the costume pieces and stir them around for a while. After we pull the costume out, we let it air dry for a few days.

Who has inspired you the most during your time at 麻豆原创?

I can鈥檛 imagine where I would be without the help and mentorship of caring members of the 麻豆原创 faculty. I have been lucky enough to have six classes with Professor Dan Novatnak and choose him as a professor every chance I get. Professor Novatnak teaches his classes with a level of enthusiasm that engages everyone in the room. Every time I leave his class, I feel a little bit smarter and a little more enlightened about my future. He taught me that you will never work a day in your life if you do what you love, and that has inspired me to pursue my dreams.

What class has been your favorite and why?

Without a doubt, my favorite class has been Game Design Workshop. I am following the Game Design track of the Digital Media BA and eventually want to make video games for a living. Game Design Workshop is a class where you spend the semester developing one of your original ideas into a fully functional video game. It鈥檚 an amazing class that gave me confidence I made the correct career choice.

What it will mean for you to graduate next month with your dad?

My father has always been there for me with advice, encouragement and intelligence. Without him, or his advice, I don鈥檛 know how long I would have lasted in college. Getting the opportunity to graduate at the same time as my dad will be a unique and special moment that I will never forget.

Knightro Tryouts Information:

Students are invited to audition to suit up as Knightro. No experience is required. An audition meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 5, and tryouts will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Burnett Honors College on the main campus. For more information, contact Team Knightro Coach Michael Callahan at 407-823-2143 or Michael.callahan@ucf.edu

It is now the fans’ time to cheer for their own 麻豆原创 spirit program.

The Knights will be competing at Nationals this weekend, Jan. 14-15, in Orlando’s own backyard, ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. They will be seeking their third national championship — 麻豆原创 won in 2003 and 2007.

As the competition quickly approaches, the level of excitement rises within the team. 麻豆原创 senior cheerleading Danielle Walden is confident about the team’s routine. “I think we are very prepared,” Walden said. The team has been performing at halftime at men’s basketball games, in front of alumni cheerleaders, as well as other teams from Mississippi State, Ohio State, LSU and Tennessee, who will also be competing this weekend.

As a senior, Walden is very excited to compete at a National level one last time. “It is bittersweet because it is my last year,” Walden said. “But I am very excited because the team is extremely ready to go out there and perform.”

To help them get prepared, the team keeps something in mind everyday: work hard. And that is why head coach Linda Gooch got an actual hard hat.

“The hard hat represents the working class, blue collar mentality. It is something that we really drilled in this group,” Gooch said. “We told them `if you continue to work hard, we are going to be prepared for this competition’ and I wanted a visual symbol of that.”

The week leading up to the National Championships, every time an individual hit all of their parts in the routine, they get to put a sticker on the hard hat with the goal being that they would completely cover it by the time of Finals.

“A lot of times all you think about are the failures; the times that you have dropped or the times that you have fallen short and it’s a way to remind them of the times that they have been perfect,” Gooch said. “It represents how well they are doing and how much they have progressed and improved.”

Gooch also talked about this year’s extremely talented group and how it was something that they really had to put a lot of work into getting them to this point. “Sometimes you have tons of talent and it’s just really easy and it’s not really developing the talent. It’s more managing the talent,” Gooch said. “This year we really had to develop the talent and when you watch them perform, you see it.”

As a member of one of the top squads in the country, 麻豆原创 cheerleaders must stay motivated and have a great deal of time management. Balancing being a student-athlete and being on the team can be challenging at times, but like Walden says, “staying focused is key.”

Gooch could not agree more. “I think everyone is unselfish until they have to give something up, and this group has done a great job at putting their personal wants and needs aside for the betterment of the team.”

Aside from their evident excitement and passion, Gooch believes the team is “physically prepared” but also believes that when the time comes, it is the mental aspect that really matters.

“You have to be perfect when it counts. The competition is not really about which team is the best, it’s about which team is the best in that two minutes and 30 seconds,” Gooch added.

鈥淚鈥檝e been a 麻豆原创 coach for 27 years and a cheerleader since the covered wagon days,鈥� Head Coach, Spirit Program, Linda Gooch laughed. 鈥淢y father retired from the military in Orlando, so I finished high school here. I never wanted to be a Gator, I just wanted to beat the Gators!鈥�

Regardless of the team 麻豆原创 is battling, the Spirit Program rarely misses a beat. On game day, they kick off the energy that inspires and ignites the crowd and players. And it’s not just cheers or chance that make them fierce. Their “spirit” requires strength and stamina, developed through practices and training with Gooch four days a week. That human firepower that bursts forth on the field involves serious acrobatic skills, super strength鈥攕ome have been 麻豆原创’s weightlifting record holders鈥攁nd plain old-fashioned, honest-to-goodness, sweat.

鈥淚n many ways, we鈥檙e the face of the 麻豆原创 athletic department.鈥�

鈥淲e are very proud for coach (Linda) Gooch on being recognized for the impact she has had on the collegiate spirit community nationally,鈥� said Keith Tribble, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Director of Athletics. 鈥淚t is a great testament to her beliefs and what she stands for, that her peers have bestowed such a special honor.鈥�

In 2003, the team won their first national crown ending the University of Kentucky’s streak of eight-consecutive titles. Then, in 2007, 麻豆原创 claimed its second title outlasting several SEC schools, including UK鈥檚 Wildcats, Alabama and Tennessee.

Her squad, in 2007-08, went on to be featured in a six-part television documentary for the WE network, chronicling the program鈥檚 preparation to defend its second national title.

Gooch is the seventh recipient of this award that is presented annually in January during the National College Cheer and Dance Championships held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

鈥淗aving Linda Gooch receive this top award is an historic moment for our cheer program at 麻豆原创,鈥� said assistant coach Michael Pare. 鈥淩ecognizing the excellence of the 麻豆原创 cheer program is a true tribute to her dedication to 麻豆原创, its athletic department, our cheer athletes and alumni. It couldn鈥檛 go to a more deserving recipient.鈥�

Residents not only enjoyed some traditional cheers and the entertaining antics of Knightro but many just seemed to appreciate a chance to converse with the team members. Cheerleader Lauren McGinnis mentioned, “It was a joy getting to know everyone. The residents were equally entertaining to us as we were to them.”

Apart from cheering and mingling with the residents, team members took part in planting a sustainable garden, commonly known as an organic garden. It consists of various fruits and vegetables that will eventually be harvested for the guests’ meals.

It is safe to say that members of the 麻豆原创 spirit team left feeling grateful for their time spent with the Spring Hill residents and hope to return in the future.

By Morgan Ferrell, current member of the 麻豆原创 cheerleading squad