Aurelius sisters find success at Bowling Green

By Dean Shipley

Staff Writer

Two girls, who are two-thirds of triplets and were competitive cheerleaders — along with brother, Denis — at Jonathan Alder, have continued their competition cheering at the collegiate level. Krista and Lindsi Aurelius are freshmen at Bowling Green (BG) University and having success as competitive cheerleaders.

Lindsi and Krista Aurelius, formerly of Plain City, now cheer for Bowling Green State University. The Bowling Green cheer co-ed squad recently cheered successfully in Florida in two competitions.

Both girls were part the Falcons 16 member co-ed team (four men, 12 women) which competed in two competitions and finished high in both. Bowling Green finished second in the small school D-1 co-ed division in the UCA College Cheer National Championships held, Saturday, Jan. 19 in Orlando, Fla. In the world competition on the following day, the team finished first among international competitors including Canada, England, Japan and Puerto Rico.

Krista Aurelius said the team competed well in the UCA event, finishing just seven-tenths of a point behind the first place team. Their runner-up finish was an improvement over the team’s fifth place finish in 2012.

BG cheer’s placement of second qualified the team to compete in the World University Championships, where they competed against other top USA DI Universities and international teams. BGSU cheer was one of 10 top USA teams, including schools such as LSU, University of Memphis, and University of Delaware, selected to represent the USA in the World University Championship.

BGSU represented the USA along with four USA teams in small co-ed DI and took first place. Seven countries were represented at the championships including Puerto Rico, Canada, England, Japan, Costa Rica, Germany, and Mexico. BGSU Cheer are World University Champions and will have the opportunity to travel internationally to represent Team USA this fall. Both College Cheer Nationals & the University World Championships will air on ESPN this April.

Regarding the world competition finishing first felt great said Krista Aurelius.

“It’s exciting. I’d love nothing more than to represent the United States in doing what I love,” she said.

Lindsi said it feels really good being world champions. “I’m so happy how our team worked together,” she said.

Their two-and-a-half minute routine required the team had to include a cheer, tumbling, basket toss and pyramids.

To attain their current level of success required a rigorous training schedule. They have practices four days a week.

Have you heard of two-a-days in football? Competition cheerleaders, when preparing for competition, have the same demanding schedule, said Krista Aurelius. Krista’s role on the team is a base. That means, when the team builds a pyramid, she’s on the bottom. Sister Lindsi is a flyer. That means some strong man lifts her in the air so she can twist and somersault.

Krista said though cheering at the collegiate level is strenuous, she feels it’s worth it.

Gail Bates, who coached the Aurelius triplets at Jonathan Alder and witnessed BG cheer’s performances, said the Aurelius sisters have had to work extra hard to meet the demands of college cheering. Because they were former gymnasts, they brought their valuable tumbling skills to BG, which are necessary at the college level.

However, Bates pointed out: “JA being a non-mount team, as most teams are in the state of Ohio, we did not stunt or mount. They knew this going into college, so they worked hard at training, taking private classes.”

“I am very proud of their accomplishments,” Bates said.

Krista Aurelius’ plan includes studies in exercise science which will eventually lead to a career as a physical therapist.

Lindsi is studying tourism, leisure and event planning with the goal of co-owning a business in event planning.

Their brother, Denis, attends the Air Force Academy, where he is on the gymnastics team.

Head coach Anne Marie King said of the BG team, “We are proud of the BG cheer team and how they represented the university on a national and international level this weekend. Competing against top programs across the country is an opportunity they embraced with dedication and pride, and their hard work as a program over the past year paid off today.”

King feels the Aurelius sisters contribute mightily to the BG cheer program. “Both Lindi and Krista have been an asset the program and nationals team this season,” she said. “In addition to their athletic talents; both Lindi and Krista have great leadership skills, strong work ethics, and positive attitudes. More specifically, Lindsi motivates the team with her high energy and Krista leads by example. Being selected on the nationals floor is not easy as incoming freshman. In addition to being a traditional student, the Aurelius sisters had practices five days a week, workouts, games, study tables, two-a-days during winter break, and the pressure to hit at nationals. However, the Aurelius sisters did it with determination, pride and grace. They will certainly be strong leaders of the cheer program for upcoming years.”

Posted by Staff Reports on Jan 28 2013. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS Feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.