This time every year the Virginia Tech Cheerleading and Dance teams travel down to Daytona Beach to compete for the NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance National Championship. The Spirit programs, by nature, get filed under the "Support" category, but this is one of the few times a year the spotlight is on them instead of Football or Basketball.

Most people with an ounce of talent in dance will never realize it. There is one hurdle, one major obstacle which will stop most in their tracks. Even the most ambitious and enthusiastic to start with won't be able to pass it. It can discourage the most enthusiastic and make fools out of otherwise cool people. What it is I'm talking about...it's the first dance class. My word, what a freak show! You'll watch some MTV video, realize you can pull off a few of the moves and that you're pretty good.

It’s basketball season and for most cheer teams, it requires a shift in the complexity of stunts and dance routines. The adjustments from sideline football games to courtside offers simplistic benefits for cheerleaders making the switch to this fast-paced environment.

If you have ever stood in front of a large group of people to give any kind of performance, then you know the pressure you can sometimes feel. This pressure to do well can create a fear of the stage. Even for seasoned professionals, stage fright can freeze us in our tracks and cause us to forget our routines. The good news is there are plenty of people who go through this every day and have learned to cope with it. As a dance parent, I have seen my daughter suffer from everything from “butterflies” to stopping in mid-step like a deer caught in the headlights.