In her five seasons at the helm of the Maryland program, Jarnell Bonds took the Maryland competitive cheer team to new heights. In the 2010-11 season, she helped continue to pioneer the way for competitive cheer as an NCAA sport as part of a group that instituted the new National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA). The Terrapins, along with the five other NCATA member schools, competed in just NCATA meets. The Terrapins were ranked No. 1 in the league the entire year and went 8-0 in the regular season. In April 2010, she also led Maryland to its fourth NCA national title in five years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010) and first-ever National Grand Championship. In fall of 2009, Bonds and the University of Maryland hosted a summit for the colleges and universities that regard competitive cheer as a varsity sport. The group formed the NCSTA and changed the competition style of the sport to a meet style format, much like a gymnastics or track meet. Later that season, Bonds and the Terrapins headed to Daytona Beach, Fla. to compete in the NCA Nationals. After falling to second by a small margin in day one of the competition, the Terrapins hit a near-flawless routine on day two to take the crown. Not only were the Terps All-Girl champs, but they were Grand Champs, meaning they were they beat coed teams as well. Bonds has coached the Terrapins to three national titles, two in her first two years.
She got her start as a competitive gymnast when she was younger. She cheered for the Terrapins and was on the national championship squad in 1999. After serving as assistant coach for three years, Bonds, a 2002 graduate from the University of Maryland, took over the role from thirteen-year head coach Lura Fleece in the 2006-07 season. Bonds has been a part of the competitive cheer coaching staff since the university recognized it as a varsity sport in 2003. Bonds stepped down from the head coach role in the summer of 2011 to pursue other professional opportunities. She is currently working on her M.B.A. at Maryland's highly-regarded Robert H. Smith School of Business. Her parents are James and Evola and she has two sisters, Courtney and Erynn, and one brother, Carlise. She currently resides in Upper Marlboro, Md. |
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