“Our coaches came to practice one day and were like, ‘Hey, we have this huge idea about doing this Got Milk ad.’ And we just had to make a commercial as a team and kind of show them what we got,” Courtney Beldon, of the Dakota Spirit Magnum squad, said.

And, earning first place nationally wasn’t easy.

”For the video that we made we took two separate practices. We came in full dress and with our hair curled and everything. And we came up with a cheer that incorporated chocolate milk, a couple of seniors speak and for the video and we just did some stunts and showed off, like, the best skills that we had,” Cassie Wilka, of the Dakota Spirit Magnum squad, said.

A panel of judges then selected the top 20 semi-finalists from cheer teams across the country, who campaigned to drive votes for their entries.

The squad says social media played a large role in getting people to vote. They posted on Facebook and Twitter, asking for votes from family, friends and classmates.

In addition to starring in its own “got milk?” ad, Dakota Spirit Magnum earned a $5,000 grant. The group plans to give some to a local charity and use the rest of the money for a UCA national competition in Florida.