Local grads bring home national honor

The Point Park University competitive dance team finished fourth in the NAIA Competitive Cheer & Dance National Championships in Oklahoma City on March 10, and several local graduates helped the Pioneers attain the lofty finish.
The award-winning squad included Mapletown’s Sarah Cumpston, Southmoreland’s Keera Frye, Connellsville’s Darian Leighty, Waynesburg Central’s Claire Kreider and Laurel Highlands’ Kenneth Sickles.
Point Park finished fourth in the 12-team field with 85.42 points, just .03 points from third-place Midland. St. Ambrose won the title with 89.21 points. Oklahoma City placed second with 88.71.
The Pioneers scored 82.16 in the preliminary-round dance on the first day of competition Friday with only one deduction. The squad posted high marks in hip hop, choreography and degree of difficulty.
The opening day score counted for 25 percent of the overall total, 20.54, with the second day accounting for 75 percent.
Point Park had another strong performance in Saturday’s final round, posting a score of 86.5 with no deductions. The squad had perfect marks in performance impression and just shy of perfect scores in team turns and team leaps.
“We did three routines. We did one to jazz, one pom, it’s really stiff movements, and hip hop,” said Cumpston.
The personal best score of the squad was 89.66 in the Saints Showdown at Aquinas College in Michigan on Feb. 4.
The Pioneers earned an at-large bid into the second NAIA national championship with their performance in the NAIA Northwest Regional Qualifying Tournament on Friday, Feb. 23, at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa.
The four regional champions and host Oklahoma City received automatic bids with the remaining slots filled with the highest scores from around the country.
Point Park finished second in the regional with 75.13 points. Midland won the regional title with 78.55 points.
The three dancers all had a different experience approaching the national competition.
“I grew up in dancing,” said Sickles. “I was Mr. Dance Pennsylvania in 2010, so I was on the national stage. (The NAIA competition) brought back a lot of good memories.”
“I was very nervous,” said Cumpston. “I blanked out completely. I forget the dance until I step on the stage.”
“I had nerves for a good reason,” said Leighty.
Sickles, a 2012 graduate from Laurel Highlands, did not take the traditional route when he matriculated to Point Park and eventually onto the award-winning squad.
“I went to PTI (Pittsburgh Technical Institute) for two years and then worked as an engineer for a year-and-a-half,” explained Sickles.
Sickles decided to return to college and played on the basketball team in the 2016-17 season. The former three-year letterman at Laurel Highlands played 36 minutes over 11 games, finishing with 18 points and four rebounds.
“It just didn’t work out with the coach,” Sickles said of his decision to leave the program.
But, Sickles found another way to help mitigate the expenses of going back to college — dance.
“I’ve been dancing my whole life. I started when I was two,” said Sickles. “I teach dance four nights a week in the surrounding area.
“I ran out of grant money. (Dance) was a way to pay for school.”
“The coach came after me. (The scholarship for dance) covers costs not covered academically,” continued Sickles. “It was a no-brainer.”
Sickles is one of three men on the cheer squad, but is the lone male on the competitive dance team.
“The routine is choreographically based around me,” Sickles said of his role on the dance team. “Since I’m the only male, I make sure I do what we have to do.
“There are two other guys on the cheer squad. I tumble fairly well, so the other two guys do the stunts and lifting.”
Sickles earned NAIA All-America honors this season, while Leighty received honorable mention honors.
“They sent a video and you learned a dance. The regional had an open audition based on the skill set you have and you did the routine they sent,” Sickles said of the process.
Sickles majors in Early Childhood Education (K-4) with the intention of earning his master’s degree in administration.
“Point Park has an accelerated program. It cuts down on the workload,” said Sickles. “I’m less traditional. I’m into body building and I’m 6-foot tall. People say I’m a man of many traits.
“My goal is to become a principal and a high school coach.”
Cumpston, a 2016 graduate from Mapletown, is in her first season on the dance squad. She, too, is majoring in Early Childhood Education.
“I went to a few events they held last year. They had a pep rally showcase. I wanted to be a member of the squad,” explained Cumpston, who started dancing when she was three. “I did triple turns and leaps. I had the skills they were looking for, I guess.
“I was pretty nervous. I was happy I made it.”
Leighty graduated from Connellsville in 2013 where she ran track (high jump), played a year of basketball and ran one season of cross country. But, she started dancing young, as well, beginning lessons when she was three.
Leighty, a two-year member of the dance squad, is also one of the captains of the cheer squad. She’s a five-year member of the cheer squad. Leighty decided to split her remaining credits over two semesters of her fifth year at Point Park.
“I was walking through the cafe my freshman year and there was a sign about cheerleading,” said Leighty. “I can tumble and jump. It was a club at the time. It was officially recognized (by the athletic department) last year.”
Leighty had a pretty busy practice week between the two squads.
“We practice three days a week. There are five crossover days. Practices are totally different,” explained Leighty. “We jump and tumble in cheerleading. Dance is more relaxing.”
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Leighty said of competing in the national final. “We were very close last year. We missed out by one point. To go out and improve ourselves, it was amazing.”
Leighty is a sports, arts and entertainment management major, and looks to use her education to remain connected with cheerleading.
“I hope to continue with cheerleading. I have a passion for it,” said Leighty.