Cheer Chatter Blog

How do you prepare for a performance while worrying about the safety of a teammate? Well, this team knows exactly how that feels.  The Arlington Seminoles Bantam team could not and would not let fear stop them. Hard work has gotten them this far and they plan to make it a stellar performance for their teammate.  Working with others in a team sport takes dedication, commitment and love.  This team has it all and has chosen to live life in love. “This group of girls depend on each other”, said Coach Karen.  Most of the girls have been cheering together since age 7.  Over-coming adversity is nothing new and with the few girls remaining, they plan to perform during Nationals by Any Means Necessary!

Today's very special Pacific Northwest spotlight goes on the Almaden Mustangs Challenger cheer team. This is a brand new team to Almaden and currently has one girl, the coaches said their greatest challenge this season was recruiting, and really hope to bring more challengers to the program. 

Pride in accomplishment is not something that’s treated lightly among Pop Warner folks from Burlington , Massachusetts.  Nor is the power of “family” in creating a lasting bond that has made the Burlington Patriots one of the super Cheer stories of this, and every, Pop Warner Super Bowl Week.

As the winners of 23 Pop Warner National Championships, the first Pop Warner squad to be featured on the cover of CHEER Magazine, and the subject of the gritty, inspiring, acclaimed 2009 documentary “Blood, Sweat and Cheers” , the Burlington Patriots have become the gold standard in youth cheerleading.

But, how did all that tradition start?  During his 17 years as Burlington Association President, Dave Colangelo saw the town’s cheer program start small, but grow rapidly.  “We started to build up our cheer program in 1994,” Dave recalls. “ We had some success with a 5th place finish coming to Nationals. After that, the word began to spread. More girls signed up. And, the parents bought in.”

Then, five years later, the breakthrough, a first-ever Pop Warner National Championship for the Burlington Patriots in 1999. Dave recalls all the excitement that ensued. ”When we got home, the whole Burlington community gave us a ticket tape parade. Suddenly, the spirit was contagious. And, from there, the program grew and grew.”

Now, sixteen years later, with 23 Pop Warner National Championships in the trophy case for Burlington Patriots squads, the formula for success has become clear as day; especially when you talk with former Burlington Patriot Cheerleaders, many of whom have returned to serve as Jr. Coaches and Coaches “ You might not think a sport would have that much impact on your life,” reflects Burlington Jr. Coach Erika.  “ But, when you’re with your teammates for two hours, four nights a week, for months, you just become so close.”

And that “closeness” extends all the way up from cheerleader athletes to their adult coaches. As Cheer Coordinator Michelle  Arsenault knows , “When Dave Colangelo started the program, it was all about ‘family first.’ And, that’s the way it’s been ever since. Our coaches we have come back year-after-year. They start as young cheerleaders and they come back as student demonstrators, then jr. coaches and finally coaches, because they want to pass our tradition on from that same source of pride.”

Yep, Burlington is a community that cares deeply about their Pop Warner program and what it means to the growth of youth, adults, families and friends throughout this suburban Boston town. And, the “pass it forward” commitment of one generation of cheer champions to the next continues to define the Burlington tradition.

In addition to Skills Game making a debut this year at the National Championship, another Pilot program was initiated this season…DUAL PARTICIPATION.  Ten teams from each Region were given the opportunity to roster as both a cheer team and a dance team.  Many of the Regions participated, but four Regions had some of their Dual Teams advance to the National Championship in both cheer and dance.

Participating as a dual team did not allow for any additional practice time.  This was the number one challenge that the coaches and coordinators encountered.  Developing a practice schedule that maximized being able to teach, learn and clean two completely separate routines.  For those of us who have coached Pop Warner, we know getting one routine done is a challenge in itself at times, how did they ever do two?

Coordinator Sophia Smith of the Wilmington Coastal Panthers from the Mid-South Region, she wanted to challenge her coaches and the athletes.  Sophia had two separate levels participate, Jr. Pee Wee and Varsity.  “We taught the words to the cheer while doing conditioning.  This way they were learning the cheer from the very beginning.  They began their season by devoting two days to cheer and one to dance.  The younger team definitely hard a harder time than the Varsity girls, but both teams adapted well.” 

Cape Youth Storms from the Southeast Region also rostered two dual teams, Jr. Pee Wee and Varsity as well.  They took a slightly different approach, dedicating one day to cheer, one day to dance, and splitting the third day of practice.  Although they did not advance their cheer routines to the National Event, the dance routines did extremely well.  The coaching staff was split as well, some specialized in dance, and the others, dance.  Head Coach Michelle Mazur agreed, that it was a definite challenge to teach two separate routines, with the same amount of practice hours, but accepted the challenge and feels her team has benefitted and grown from the experience. 

Patriot Youth Cheer and Dance is a new organization in the Mid-America.  They combined one cheer program with a program that had dance.  They did not have enough coaches for two teams, so they too decided to roster as a dual Pee Wee Team.  Head Coach Ebony Mills said her biggest challenge, “I never taught dance before.  I did research and found videos of other dance teams and decided on Janet Jackson. I felt I could relate to and teach that.”  Ebony split her practice days as Cape Youth did, one day cheer, one day dance, half and half on the third day.

For Monica Martinez of the San Antonio Wolverines of the Southwest Region, she too faced the same challenges the others teams did….balancing two routines.  Her Jr. Varsity will perform Friday with the PW2 teams.  They divided their practice time each evening of practice, half dance and half cheer.  The team placed first at both local and regional competition in their cheer and dance divisions.

The participants too accepted the challenge, and thrived.  Kylie Young of Cape Youth Hurricanes said “It was an interesting experience.  I have danced before, and cheered on the team last year.  It was an amazing experience and I would definitely want to do it again.”  Similar response from Dejah Cooper of the Varsity Wilmington Coastal Panthers “It was a lot more work, but no more practice time.  Competing is hard because you have to change the costumes and warm up for the second routine with not much time. But I would do it again!”

The dual participation has had rave response, with most all coaches agreeing they would definitely roster as dual again if given the opportunity.  Although they all agree more practice time would be beneficial, they found a way to make it work and provide an experience of a lifetime for their teams. 

AWESOME JOB DUAL TEAMS! WAY TO ACCEPT A CHALLENGE!

The Eastern Region highlight team of the day is the Albany Falcons. Head Coach Patricka, Coordinator Kathy and assistant coaches Semone & Pam, have had the pleasure of coaching this tight knit group of girls who have been cheering with the Falcons for the past 2-8 years.  They are here competing at Nationals for the third time, placing 3rd and 2nd previously. 

The Mid South Spotlight team of the day is the Apex Cougars. Opening the final day of Competition as the first team to perform, they lived their motto, "hard work beats talent when talent  doesn't work hard".  Consisting of 21 girls, ages 10-13, this is the JR Varsity Med PW3 teams third time at nationals.  The Association has been 9 times since joining Pop Warner 14 years ago.  This team is the first DUAL team, competing as both a Dance and a Cheer squad.  They are taking home the third place trophy in Dance.  After a long day of competing yesterday, the coaches dressed up as snowmen to do bed checks last night.  As they get ready, they all chant "I believe that we will hit"  and we believe also.  Good Luck Apex Cougars.

Pacific Northwest Region is proud to spotlight Peninsula Pop Warners Pacifica Tigersharks JPW PW2 National Champions! 

Here for the first time at the Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Competition, the Cavalier Manor Spartans are the Mid-South Region Dance spotlight team of the day.  These 15 girls, ages 12-15, came from Portsmouth Virginia to compete in the Dance Theme Varsity Division.  This is their first year as a dual cheer/dance squad.  With the team motto "never underestimate the power of spirit" always in her mind, head coach, Chastity Garrett is so proud of how far they have come.  She wants them to know that "win or loose, they will always be my champions".  Since arriving in Disneyworld, they have visited the parks as a team and attended the Pop Warner Party at Animal Kingdom last night.  The favorite ride was Expedition Everest and they all loved the Mac n' Cheese that was served.  They realize their families had to sacrifice time and money in order for them to succeed and they are very grateful.  They also want to thank Darryl Tapp from the New Orleans Saints, who hails from Portsmouth VA, for his donation. 

Holy Cross Knights Pom Pee Wee Dance Team are super excited about being at the 2016 Pop Warner Cheer/Dance Championship, they have come to Orlando the last two years and are hoping for great results after their performance today.
I interviewed Yayi Trejo and Madilyn Hernandez and both girls wanted to thank everyone back in San Antonio Pop Warner for all the support they have given to them throughout the great season.    I asked Yayi if she has anything that she wanted to say to her team mates, and she wanted everyone to do well and leave everything on the floor.....also interviewed Madilyn and I asked her if it was her first time flying to Orlando and she told me "No Sir I have been on the plane six times to get here."  Both girls are ready to perform so they can get it past them and see the results.    The Coaches were nervous, but excited for their kids...awesome team to interview.
Last question asked of Madilyn was would you rather be in school right now or here at Disney, her reply was that she would love to be here that's why she pushes her teammates throughout the season so they can be here every year....so long story short she rather be at Disney than school right now.

The famous quote by Mr. Phil Jackson, “The strength of the team is each member. The strength of each member is the team!” This quote is a great example for this team.  The Oceanway Buccaneers are a dual team from one of the newer associations in Jacksonville.  This cheerleading team accepted  the challenge and tried dance for the first time.  The Buccaneers pulled together to revise their routine after losing one of the seasoned members.  They had a great performance today.  The Southeast is so proud of you Oceanway!

If you were at the National Championships this week on Monday and Wednesday, then you were privy to a new addition to the Order of Performance ....YCADA SKILL GAMES! Skill Games is a two team cheerleading based sports competition match where two teams successfully execute preset routines on the competition surface.  These routines are based on YCADA level rules 1,2 and 3.  And divided into distinct quarters: Round 1 is Stunts/Pyramids, Round 2, Jumps/Tumpling and Round 3, Motions Dance.  The goal is for the team to score by executing the routine with fewer errors than their opponent. 

The goal of the development of YCADA Skill Game is to provide an additional competitive outlet for teams to compete in head to head matchups which helps in the development of the fundamentals involved in the sport of cheerleading.  Skill Games is not meant to take the place of traditional cheerleading competitions and performances, but to be an additional competitive format to imrove the overall competitiveness of these teams.

That is the exact reason Head Coach Tracey Matthews from the Flagler Titans volunteered her team for this inaugural event. "I had many new cheerleaders to the team this year and they didn't do as well at competition as they would have liked.  Many of the girls are aging out this year and I wanted to give them the opportunity of the National Experience."

The start of Skill Games begins with a coin toss to determine initial possession within the Skill Game.  The referee will ask the Head Coach which has won possession which routine number they select to perform first.  Teams then have 20 seconds to take the floor.  At the referee's whistle, the music will begin. The scoring official confers to determine a winner of the round based on the number of skill errors by both teams.  The team with the least skill error deductions will winthe round.  If each team had the same number of errors, the round would end in a tie.

For the Flagler Titans, this was a positive experience, as they were declared the winners of Wednesday's Skill Games.

I am sure we will be seeing much more of the Skills Game Challenge in the future.

The Eastern Region Highlight team of the day: Hightstown Rams Junior PeeWees out of New Jersey.  What a great bunch of girls along with their fantastic coaching staff: Steph, Stacy (without the "e"), Kathryn, Toni and Samara.  A huge shoutout to their mascot, who happens to be the little sister of the team. 

Colleen Serio has been involved with the Riverside Bulldogs since 1993 – coaching all levels. But when she moved down to coach the Tiny Mites - she decided to buy a Build a Bear as the team mascot.  Paige Marie was born on August 19, 2006.  Paige has been to all of the games for the last ten years as well as all competitions.  This is her seventh year at Nationals.  She was a National Champ in 2010 with the Varsity team and today she proudly placed 3rd with the Jr. Pee Wee team.

Her uniform matches the team and she also has her own Pop Warner Certification Card.  She travels with Colleen in her car seat – so she stays safe.  Pop Warner’s number one goal is safety.  Everyone who knows the Riverside Bulldogs, knows who Paige is. 

The girls that were Tiny Mites in 2006 – are now in high school, but still remember her.  Paige is a great support – she takes away all the butterflies before competitions. 

On November 5, 2016, Colleen’s daughter Valeri (former Bulldog Varsity Coach) was married.  Valeri bought Paige a Bridesmaid dress.  Our Vice President, Shelley Hays was on babysitting duty and Paige sat with her at the wedding.

In 2015, Colleen helped coach the Tiny Mites again and a whole new generation has met her.  Last year at Nationals – some of the Tiny Mites were in attendance so we took a photo with Paige.  We are starting a tradition and will take a photo with these girls each year we are at Nationals.

Paige is everyone’s little sister and welcomes them to the Bulldog Family.  Riverside Bulldogs are a Family of Champions & Rise as One and that’s what Pop Warner is – FAMILY!

The Association Cheer and Dance Coordinator (ACDC) is an important role on a leadership team.  That is the person who works to recruit and retain coaches.  For the Flagler Titans, the ACDC (Kim) stepped into the role of head coach during nationals because Coach Deanelle was unable to make it.  Leadership roles also mean that you have to be prepared to make tough coaching decisions when warranted.  This team, which was originally two, was combined after a coaching absence left one without anyone to guide them.  For this team, the blending turned out to be the best thing that could have happened for the girls.  The energy of one team mixed with the support of the other.  They complemented each other.  I guess you could say it was a match made in heaven.  The team support was amplified by their assistant coach, who has worked with the girls and was here for nationals, despite juggling all that goes along with the rigors of an expectant mother of 8 months.  She refused to let them come to nationals without their good luck charm which is the performance belly rub.  What a way to start and end the day!

Celebrating their 50 year anniversary the PW Mountain View Marauders came to nationals to represent the Pacific Northwest Region, and Peninsula Pop Warner, out of California. 

Colorado Spring Wardogs Coaches and Cheerleaders are super excited to be in Orlando for the 2016 National Championship.

I spoke with Dani and Jaiden, two participants on the squad, and they both wanted everyone to know in Colorado that they will do their best and wanted to Thank everyone for all their support.   Dani, said her fondest memories of Pop Warner is the travel. She is so glad she is here... JaIden said that she wants her team to focus and do well.

Great student athletes of Pikes Peak Pop Warner Colorado Spring Wardogs........GOOD LUCK WARDOGS!!  SOUTHWEST IS SO PROUD OF YOU!

Your Southeast Region Spotlight team of the day is the Jupiter Mustangs from the Treasure Coast League. If you had to survey a group of people to determine what was the most important thing in their lives the majority would say is FAMILY.  Well, for this team the answer will be the same.  They value this team working and functioning as a family.  The coach adores the fact that her team appreciates all the time spent together and not just preparing for competition. “In youth sports, roles models and values are also important,” said the coaches. The core value exhibited by this is love.  They get to see the love and support of a father and mother who are a part of the coaching staff.  This team has bonded, and in turn performs as one unit, one family.

Congratulations to the JUPITER MUSTANGS as they have acheived the title of NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, and they earned it, as a FAMILY.

Great Job Mustangs, the Southeast is so proud of you!

The Melbourne Ducks PW cheer squad worked hard to get to where they wanted to be and that is right here at Disney competing in the National Cheer & Dance Competition. After losing some girls to injuries, this team remained diligent in working hard to be here today. "These girls are an inspiration and I am so proud of them," said Coach Kim.The love and true feelings for the girls shows on her face when you ask  her about the team. Through all of the adversities the team has experienced this season, the remaining girls stayed true to the brand and were even more motivated to do their best. As one of the newer leagues in the Southeast Region, the Ducks commitment to the value of teamwork showed in their performance.The girls are super excited and the coaches functioned as only a seasoned staff could considering the freshness of their league.  Kudos and three cheers for the Melbourne Ducks. GO DUCK NATION!

Today's Pacific Northwest Region spotlight team is the Douglas Tigers from the Sagebrush league in Nevada. Head coach Kelly White says this was a squad who always gave 100% and came to every game, and competition prepared and spirited! 

Your Tuesday morning Southwest Region Spotlight team is the Southeast Dallas Wolverines.  The cheerleaders from the Wolverines are excited and fired up to perform here at the National Championship.   I interviewed Tristen and this was her first time to Disney and the National Championship, she said was nervous, but her faith in her team will make it all better.    She closed by saying One Team, One Dream, We are the Wolverines.......

 

Your Monday Spotlight team of the day is the Iselin Giants Junior Varsity medium PW3. What an awesome group of girls. My day started with them getting fired up as they were waiting to get checked in. We then went to the warm up mats stretched out and had a wonderful warmup. We proceeded to the quiet room and reflected on what the girls have accomplished to get to Nationals-remember to have fun and leave it on the mat! That is just what they did, thereby taking second place. I am so very proud of these girls as they persevered  through their trials and tribulations to attain their goals. Congratulations Giants-you are AMAZING!

The Monday Region Spotlight team of the day is the AVALON WOLVES from the Mid-Florida League right here in Orlando.  This team lost a valuable flyer just two weeks ago to an injury and has replaced with a brand new flyer.  It is amazing how this team has come together to support one another.  They had an amazing performance and placed third in the PW3 Large Division, a very competitive division.

Avalon has always been very active with the community and encouraging the girls to engage with community service projects to allow them to help those less fortunate. 

Congratulations AVALON!!!  You Make Southeast Proud!!!  WE ARE....AVALON!

Pacific Northwest Region PW3 North Creek Jaguars JV cheer team kicked off our competition week with a bang! 

Your Southeast Region Spotlight team of the today is the Inverness Storm from the Timucua League.  There are 32 very spirited, spunky cheerleaders that make up this team under the direction of Head Coach Lisa Hilberer, and Coordinator Angie Stanton.  A staff of ten assist with this very large Mitey Mite team.  For most of these girls, this is their time to the National Cheer and Dance Championships. But you would never have known....Their enthusiasm and energy was contagious, and their smiles and confidence, that of an experienced team.

"Be Loud, Be Proud, and use your man voice" their coaches tell them, "We are so Proud of all of you, Don't be nervous, you'll be great".  When asked what is most impressive about the team, Coordinator Angie proudly responds "Their huge heart for each other.  One of their team mates is having a medical challange and unable to participate, and the team has come together and been so suppotive of her."

When asked what their favorite part of the routine is, some respond the dance, some stunts, and others, the tumbling.  They even have encorporated use of signs with this young team.  Their is no double that this will be a team to watch out for when they advance to the next level.  Awesome Job Inverness Storm!.  The Southeast is so very Proud of You!!

Our first Region Spotlight team is from the Southwest Region.  Coach Sarah and the San Antonio Saints are visiting Florida and Disney for the first time and are very excited to perform today.  These smiling Saints all had much to say about their experience thus far at the event, but Isabella put it the best, "I have been waiting on this opportunity since she was three years old." Great job Saints!!!!  You make the Southwest Proud!

Today's New England Region Spotlight team was the Chicopee Braves Mitey Mite team! Chicopee are here all the way from Central Massachusetts! This is their first time at the National Championships! For a few of the athletes this is their first time at Disney ever! That didn't phase these girls at all! They hit the floor and did an amazing job! Amazing Job Chicopee Braves! WAY TO REPRESENT NEW ENGLAND!

I had the pleasure of following the Cleveland Rams from the Mid-South Region.  This team had the opportunity to perform twice today, once for their cheer routine and again with their dance routine.  Cleveland Rams participated in the Dual Team pilot program, which allows a team to roster themselves as cheer and dance .  Their cheer routine was sharp and spirited, and when they returned to the dance floor and it was  all about Star Wars.  The girls had a lot of energy for both routines, considering there was not much time between performances.  There are 5 girls on the team and two coaches.  The girls said they enjoy the dance part because they get to wear a costume.  Way to make the Mis-South proud ladies!!

Tri Town Raiderettes are coached by Robyn and her staff. Coach Robyn enjoys working with Pop Warner and sharing her 17 years of dance experience. During football season, you will find these girls on the Pop Warner field, but off off season, they are in the dance studio taking classes and preparing for recitals.

Coach Robyn integrates much team building exercises with her teams,to help the team bond and work better together.  One of their team building events was having the girls play flag football.  Her emphasis is not just on dance, but tumbling as well.  Tri Town Raiderettes have had a strong presence at the National Cheer and Dance Championships for many years, and many of these girls have older sisters in the program to look up to. 

Their dance theme this year is "Let's Go Crazy" by Prince.  Awesome job Tri Town!!!  It is always a pleasure watching you shine!
 

For this year's event,we will give highlights of the days competition, warm your heart with human interest stories from across the country, and give you a performers perspective of the National Experience.  Check back often for frequent updates every day!