MVC Weekend 2023
MVC Weekend 2023 definitely takes a spot in one of my top five college experiences. Even though Bradley lost in the finals, I am so proud of our basketball team for all the hard work and effort they put in to make it this far. Every game had us jumping up and down, shaking our poms and chanting "GO BU!" The energy in the Enterprise Center was unmatched. I loved seeing Bradley come together for this tournament.
The first game, prelims, was on Friday. We played against UNI and won by six points. We held the lead for most of the game with a couple moments of ties that we kept breaking. Then came day two, the semi-finals. This is where the competition got more intense. We won by a single point - an absolutely insane game against Indiana State. That game had us screaming for Bradley, cheering with everything we had in us that BU would advance to the finals, and we did. In the finals we met our rival again: Drake. Bradley was seeded number one after winning the Regular Season Championship against Drake just the week before and Drake was seeded number two as a result of that game. It was a tough game, Bradley fought hard but unfortunately was beat by Drake for the title of MVC Champion 2023. Win or lose myself and my dance team support our Braves no matter what.
My sophomore year was my first time at MVC (we didn't get to go my freshman year due to COVID) and we got out in the first round, so getting to go all three days was amazing! We performed a halftime dance at each game and the crowd loved them. We had several Bradley fans and even a basketball parent that told us we brought so much energy and excitement to the crowd - that really meant a lot to our team. Our mission as the Bradley Dance Team is to support, positively represent and always encourage our university, basketball team and fans.
The journey for the Bravettes to get to MVC is never an easy one. We are not a university funded or recognized team. We fundraise 100% of all the money that goes towards our travel. Unlike the The Bradley Band and Cheer Team, that means we pay for all of our own hotel rooms, we drive ourselves in our own cars and pay for all of our own meals. I'm proud of the resilience of our team to be so determined to support our Braves that we work incredibly hard, not only on our dances and sidelines, but to fundraise so we can have the opportunity to go to MVC. Regardless, I try to keep a positive attitude about it all - I'm just really thankful we got to be there.
Finally, I want to shout out my team. The eleven girls I get to dance with are some of the kindest, talented and hard working people I have ever met. I am so thankful I got to share this incredible experience with them.
As always, GO BRAVES! The Bradley Dance Team are your biggest supporters.
Check out some pictures from our trip to MVC below!
Till next time - IF
Basketball isn't my favorite thing in the world, but glad you had fun. There is a bigger issue that needs to be talked about here. YOU'RE NOT UNIVERSITY FUNDED?!!? How on earth is that possible? When I survey the general student population (nothing formal), the number one dance team they know is the Bravettes. Half the students I talk to are unaware that there is a cheer team and just assumed that the Bravettes substitute for that. Who do we need to petition to get university funding? You have a large enough following, that I think we could make it happen.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved going to the MVC tournament in St. Louis and some of favorite memories have been made there with my family. I'm so happy the Bravettes, Band, and Cheer have the opportunity go and support the basketball team after cheering them on all season long.
ReplyDelete