A national cheerleading title has given a Colonie Pop Warner team something to cheer about.
On Wednesday, Dec. 5, the Colonie Pop Warner Pee Wee Cheerleading Team snagged first place in their division at the National Cheer and Dance Competition held at the ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex in Disney World, Fla. More than 300 cheer squads from around the country competed in the five-day event from Friday, Nov. 30 to Friday, Dec. 8.
Using a routine they had been perfecting since August, the 28-girl team has been committed and very hardworking, said cheerleading coordinator and head coach Martha Vabney. Most of the sixth- and seventh-grade girls have been moving up together on the Pop Warner cheerleading circuit for four or five years.
“Even though they come from very different places and they’re not all best friends … when they get together on that field, they are one unit,” Vabney said. “They just gel together as a team right from the beginning.”
Getting to nationals was a smooth ride for the cheerleaders. In order to get to Florida, the girls had to compete in several competitions and come in either first place or runner-up. In October, they competed in the Capital District Spirit Competition with about 100 other teams. They won first place in their size and skill level against other large Pop Warner Pee Wee 2 teams. Next, they landed first place at the Eastern Region Pop Warner North Cheer Qualifier. From there, they advanced to the Eastern Region Cheer Competition in Trenton, N.J., and there the team won top score of the day out of any skill level, beating out 118 other teams.
“They were crazy good that day,” Vabney said.
With all of their wins roughly within one month of one another, the cheerleaders were qualified to move on to nationals. But the biggest challenge didn’t come from mastering a routine or facing other dedicated squads, it was financing the trip itself. Taking 89 people to Florida, including the coaches, cheerleaders and their families, constituted a hefty cost on the team. With the support of the community and several fundraisers, the team was able to raise thousands of dollars to offset the $1,200 per person fee.
“In two weeks, we raised about $13,000,” Vabney said. “We have great support from our school district and the families in our communities.”
Vabney said the South Colonie School District was also 100 percent behind the team, and although the students had to be pulled out of school for a week, there was a classroom and tutors in Orlando for the kids.
When they finally got to Florida, the girls spent a day enjoying the Disney parks and then went into preparation for their competition against eight other teams in their division. The teams were judged on precision, choreography, routine difficulty, creativity and motion. Adult coaches Rachel Santandrea, Rachael Blaine, and Fern Pizzaro choreographed the two-and-a-half minute winning routine for the four competitions.
“This year, our music had a theme of ‘believe,’” Santandrea, who has 15 seasons of cheerleading and 10 seasons of coaching under her belt. “Every song had something about believing.”
Yet the girls couldn’t believe they won the national competition when the judges announced their name as the winning team for their division.
“All of the girls burst into tears and starting jumping up and down. They were so happy,” Vabney said. “They worked so hard and they just couldn’t believe it finally happened for them. The kids are still walking on cloud nine.”
The team will now begin preparing for next year’s round of competitions. Vabney said she hopes to take the team to the Pop Warner 3 level, which requires more difficult stunts and tumbling. But after a year of victory after victory, it doesn’t seem to be too much of a stretch.
“We just knew we were going to have a great season, but I don’t think any of us knew how good of a season we were gonna have,” Vabney said.