2011-12 Cheer and Dance
 

2011-12 Cheer and Dance

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2011-12 Cheer and Dance Coaches
 
Dave Almeida Image
Dave Almeida - Head Coach - 1st Season
Phone: 785.827.5541 ext 3230
 
Dave Almeida has been the head cheer and dance coach at Kansas Wesleyan since May, 2011.
 
Almeida came to Kansas Wesleyan after spending two years at Xtreme Acro and Cheer in Rockville, Md., as the Allstar Cheer Director. Prior to Xtreme Acro and Cheer, Almeida coached the East Coast Stars program in Myrtle Beach, S.C., for three years from 2006 until 2009.
 
Almeida looks to return the program to the competitive level it was back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, competing on a local and national level with the intent of bringing local and national attention to the program.
 
"I want to put Kansas Wesleyan University back into the competitive Collegiate Cheerleading World and show everyone what kind of student athletes we have at KWU," Almeida said.
 
Almeida also served on the coaching staff at Loyola University and James Madison University.
He has over 20 years of experience in cheerleading, either as a cheerleader, coach or program director.
 
Almeida attended and cheered at both George Mason University and North Carolina State University. He was a two-time National Champion as well as earning several other honors from NCA and UCA. He is certified by the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) and the United States All-Star Federation (USASF).
 
Ashley Finan Image
Ashley Finan - Assistant Coach - 1st Season

Ashley Finan has been an assistant coach for the Kansas Wesleyan Cheer and Dance program since the start of the 2011-12 academic year.

 

Finan is no stranger to Kansas Wesleyan, as she is also an Admissions Counselor and graduated from KWU in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology.

 

Finan's experience in the dance world started back at the age of 2, when she first began dancing. She began competing at age 3.

 

Finan graduated from Salina Central High School in 2004 and headed to Barton County CC in Great Bend where she was on the Barton Danceline and was a member of the Cougars' National Dance Team for two years, also serving as Co-Captain. She also danced for the Coyotes at KWU in 2008-09. She was named as a National Dance Alliance (NDA) All-American fromm 2002 to 2005.

 

Her experiences also include being a Carnival Cruise Line dancer in 2001, a Disneyland Dancer in 2004 and an instructor at Dance Elite in Salina from 2009 to 2011.

 

The Salina native is the daughter of Lloyd and Kathy Jones and lives in Salina with her husband Sam and son Carson.