On Jan. 28, Del Val’s cheerleading team made it to the airport for the 2026 UCA Nationals in Orlando, Florida. The team had been working together since Aug. 2025, and they were prepared to take on another successful week at Nationals. Last year, the team placed seventh in the nation, and they were excited for another opportunity to show the world who they are.

The team arrived to a calm evening in Orlando. They were excited to find out they were staying in a new resort compared to prior years: All-Star Sports in Disney World.

To celebrate a long and successful season, each year the team dresses up and goes out to a team dinner. This year, the team went to Disney’s Yak & Yeti restaurant. Animal Kingdom was a team favorite, as everyone was able to break off with other teammates and ride roller coasters after finishing their meal.

The first competition, Pre-lims, took place Friday morning. The team entered the arena with high spirits and hopes to move on to Semifinals the next day. The team performed an outstanding routine, advancing to Semifinals in second place.

At Semifinals on Saturday afternoon, the team performed another strong routine. After returning to their hotel, the team got together to hear the announcement for which teams would be advancing to finals the next day. The team was announced as finalists, and all of them could not have been more proud.

In the end, Del Val Cheerleading ended 11th in the Nation out of 62 teams. They brought home a large trophy along with everlasting memories. 2026 Nationals are officially over, and now the team is ready to come home and rest in preparation of next year’s season.

The last day was spent park-hopping with family, celebrating the team’s months of hard work and success. Families went to Magic Kingdom, Disney Springs and Epcot.