In all star cheerleading, there are big-name teams that fill people’s conversations and prediction brackets leading up to Worlds. But laying low and off the radar are always a few small teams looking to put up a big fight. 

Ultimate Cheer Lubbock Royal Court is one of those teams.

Home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders and known for being the largest cotton-producing area in the world, Lubbock, Texas, is a small town in the country where these underdogs work to become champions.

Gym director and choreographer for UCL, Andrew “ChiChi” Mitchell opened the gym in the summer of 2014 as a Senior at Texas Tech. With a long cheerleading background at top cheerleading programs like Navarro, Louisville, Texas Tech, Spirit of Texas, and GymTyme, Mitchell was destined for a life in the sport.

Ultimate Cheer Lubbock is a D2 gym that hopes to one day climb the ranks and make it big. The gym’s International Open Small Coed 6 team, Royal Court, is making the trip from Texas to Florida to compete at the 2018 Cheerleading Worlds.

"I feel like God has truly blessed me with this team," Mitchell said. "The team is committed, they love it, they hold each other accountable, and, most importantly, they get along."

The team was created the first year of the IOSC division in 2015-16. 

“It was a very fun and awesome first year,” Mitchell said. “We received our Worlds bid at the first competition Cheer America."

With a few years to practice and grow, Royal Court is headed back to Worlds with the hopes of taking home the title. 

"We were one point away from a full paid bid and went into finals at NCA in third place," Mitchell explained. "With new routine updates and drilling the routine to perfection, Royal Court may hopefully do some surprising things in Orlando!"

Ultimate Cheer Lubbock - Royal Court ?

This D2 small gym about to shake up the IOSC6 division at WORLDS ? pic.twitter.com/SYqvjaqfT9

— Andrew “ChiChi” Mitchell (@chichigalores) April 17, 2018

Going into Worlds, Mitchell wants his athletes to believe in themselves as much as he believes in them. 

"Soon we will be D1 status, which I am really looking forward too, but I am hoping to make some D2 history before we get there," he said. "I want to show other D2 programs that it is possible." 

"I tell my athletes you do not need to attend the world-famous gyms to be a NCA or world champion. You can do it here."

The program has a dream of making it big at Worlds and they are ready to fight for that dream to become a reality. The underdogs, the small gym that could, going against major names with a title that is up for grabs.

Can Ultimate Cheer Lubbock Royal Cout make 2018 their breakout year? Tune in to FloCheer April 28-30 to watch Royal Court compete for the title at the Cheerleading Worlds.

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