Anne Marie King (Meiers), wife of Jonathan R. King, NBHS 2002, is in her fifth year as head coach of the Bowling Green State University cheer team. For the past four years, the BG cheer team has received bids to compete at the National Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championships in Orlando, Florida at the ESPN Wide World of Sports to represent BGSU and compete against top cheer programs from around the nation. Under Anne Marie's leadership, the team has accomplished ever-higher finishing placements each year it has competed and received partial-paid bids for the last three years. The team has placed in the top 5 for four consecutive years. For the 2013 competition, 25 Division 1 schools received bids to semi-finals, and the top 10 teams advanced to finals. BGSU placed 2nd in the nation this year, just .07 behind 1st place. Second in the nation will award BGSU cheer with a full paid bid for the 2014 team.


Doing a stunt

Following this stellar performance, the BGSU team went straight to The World Collegiate Cheer and Dance Championship, also in Orlando. The top placing teams in the United States were eligible to compete against each other as well as the top collegiate teams from 8 other countries. Coach King's BGSU cheer team was judged to be the undisputed best, finishing 1st in the World Competition! BGSU, along with The University of Memphis, will represent the US internationally in the fall of 2013.

It is apparent that most great and successful coaches share certain qualities and characteristics. One of those that seem to be paramount is giving credit to others. Coach Anne Marie King is a great coach, who is quick to point out to this reporter, that she is fortunate to have such an excellent group of athletes. She notes that there are team members who have demonstrated great leadership and have provided inspiration to the whole team. Coach King is quick to give a great deal of credit to her Assistant Coach, David Clemons. "Like any other college athletes, cheer squads have rigorous training and travel schedules, all while maintaining high academic performance levels. It requires a measure of dedication, commitment, and athleticism, which does not come easily or even naturally to most people. The BG cheer team members are the best in the world because they make world class efforts to work as a team and succeed", said Coach King.


Coach Clemons, Coach King

For those readers who are unaware, it should be known that cheerleading and dance have become the worlds leading competition sport. At 2012 Cheerleading World Championships in Orlando, Fl, over 75 countries traveled to the US to compete in the championship. Anne Marie has made a big name for herself in this huge arena, as a coach, instructor, and judge, having traveled all over the world judging and instructing national and international camps and competitions. She has also excelled as an athlete in competitive gymnastics and in this sport, cheering at Whitmer High School and also for four years at BGSU. Five years ago, while pursuing a dual Masters Degree at BGSU, she was offered and accepted the assistant coach position, and one year later, accepted the head coach position. She has been leading this team to greater heights ever since.


CONGRATULATIONS BGSU Cheer Team and Coaches!

The remarkable accomplishments of the Bowling Green State University Cheer Team speak for themselves, but there is more to this story. Anne Marie's team competed against, and conquered, teams from much larger colleges and universities from around the nation and even the world. Many of those schools recruit their cheer athletes and provide athletic scholarship funding for them. BGSU does not do this. The athletes on Coach King's team obviously do not see this as any sort of disadvantage. She and her assistants and every member of the team won the World title, not because they were the best paid, but because they were just the best! They have returned home to Bowling Green bearing the precious gifts of great pride and honor to the City, the University, and all of Wood County. We are honored and proud to call you our own! Congratulations to you, Anne Marie and your entire team of athletes!