Texas Tech Cheer Squad brings home historic win

LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech University’s Small Coed Cheer Squad had their first-ever win at the National Cheerleading Association competition in Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend. Tech’s Head Cheer and Mascot Coach, Bruce Bills, said he couldn’t be more proud of the historic performance.

“This is where we get to do why we do what we do,” Bills said, “On that national stage, we are doing the most elite skills known in cheerleading.”

Yet, Bills told Everythinglubbock.com those elite skills aren’t as easy and seamless as they look, saying the team prepared all year for just two minutes and 15 seconds on the mat.

“We start with this in August in our first practice and just building up what works best for this team,” Bills explained. “Then starting in January, we have our choreographer come and he puts it all together.”

From there, the team practiced the routine non-stop all year. Bills said they had over 100 team practices altogether. He told Everythinglubbock.com that while he’s confident in the cheerleaders, it’s always a rollercoaster of emotions watching them compete.

“It’s nerve-wracking because at that point you’ve done everything that you can do… Now it’s up to them,” he said. “A little bit of it is I just kind of sit back and just enjoy it because I trust them that they’re going to make it happen and do the best job representing Tech.”

It was a fierce competition too, with the first and second place separated by less than half a point, and Bills said waiting for those results is even more stressful than watching the performance.

“It gets down to the little things and they make the difference and so it’s a little nervous,” Bills described. “When they call Texas Tech, that’s the most warm feeling that you can ever get because you’re doing it for the university, but then for these athletes in this team, they put in the hard work.”

And for Bills, it’s all about demonstrating the greatness of those who wear Scarlet and Black.

“Representing Tech means everything to me… and that’s what I try to give back to the athletes,” he said. “Competing with that double-T on your chest —  it means a lot to us because we want to make sure that we are representing Texas Tech at the highest level.”

Tech’s Large Coed Cheer Squad got second in another super competitive division, and Bills said he couldn’t be prouder of both teams. The celebration won’t last too long though, with tryouts, and another year of preparing for the 2025 competition, starting in just a few weeks.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com.