By: Layla Saad You give your all every day, and it all boils down to two minutes and 30 seconds on a mat in Florida. Wilson High School’s competitive cheer team traveled to the United Cheerleaders Association’s Nationals held in Orlando, Florida. In December, the Wilson Cheer Team had little hope of making it to Nationals. Although the cheerleaders started off extraordinarily strong in the beginning of the season, the girls were faced with many challenges. They acquired multiple injuries such as broken bones, torn ligaments and concussions. The girls also overcame mental blocks and many changes in choreography. However, what the cheerleaders never struggled with, was a lack of motivation. The teammates looked toward each other for inspiration and encouragement. After lots of hard work, Wilson High School’s Cheer Team got a bid to Nationals by video submission. After school on Feb. 5, the team left for Disney in two vans, and made its way to The Baltimore/Washington International Airport. With take-off from Maryland at 7:45 p.m., the cheerleaders made it to the All-Star Sports Resort in Disney World by about midnight. The head coach, Courtney Weniger, allowed the girls to sleep in until nine the next day. The team’s first day entailed a two-hour practice on the resort’s “tennis court,” a turf field designed to look like a tennis court with Donald and Daisy Duck as the players. Following the sweaty practice under the sun, the cheerleaders made their way to the resort’s cafeteria where they were able to use a meal voucher earned by previous fundraising. Throughout the season, the girls did team fundraisers with The Philadelphia Pretzel Factory, Redner’s and hosted Wilson’s Bulldog Classic Cheer Competition. Each cheerleader also raised money by individual fundraising with sales of cookie dough, Auntie Anne's pretzels, Krispy Kreme donuts and carnations. Thanks to fundraising and the Wilson Cheerleading boosters, enough money was raised to give each girl a meal voucher for lunch and dinner almost every day. After lunch, the team spent their first night in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. The girls saw characters, shows and went on rides, but what they really were doing was building true friendships. Following what felt like a week long bus ride, the cheerleaders made it back to their resort. After dinner, some shopping and giggles, they arrived at their mickey-themed bedrooms and fell asleep. Two mornings later, the team woke up at 5:30 a.m. to get ready for their big day. Everything the girls had worked for all season was going to be put to the test. The cheerleaders gathered in the coaches’ room to help each other get ready. The day started with makeup, hair and lots of nerves. The team made their way to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. With every step each individual took, the atmosphere and reality set in. There were crowds of cheerleaders everywhere you looked, seas of low ponytails topped with cheer bows when you gazed up, and white sneakers on every foot when you glanced down. Check in was soon after arrival at the complex, then it was straight to stretching and warmups. The girls stretched on the freezing cold floor; they reached for each foot, stretching out their muscles to prepare for what was to come. Without any time to take a second to collect themselves, the cheerleaders were rushed to warmups. First, every girl had to “warm up” their tumbling. Rows of girls stood on mats, jumped backwards, completed back handsprings, tucks, layouts and even some fulls (a 360 degree spin combined with a back tuck). Next up were stunts; the team formed their groups and threw each other in the air, something everyone was used to by then. For the last portion of warmups, Coach Courtney directed the girls to get set for a “full out,” a nickname for running the routine to its full capacity with all stunts, jumps and tumbling. The cheerleaders hurried to their starting positions and from the first “eight” count everything was perfect. Every stunt “hit,” the pyramid “hit” and everyone gave it their all. Out of breath, the girls looked to the coaches; they were brought to tears for the first time all season. However, there wasn’t a moment to spare, the team was then rushed out of the warm-up room to the curtain hiding the competition floor. Behind the giant black curtain, the cheerleaders huddled up, prayed and took turns giving inspirational pep talks to their teammates. Coach Courtney spoke, “Take it anything in life you want to be good at, take it cheer, a job, anything in life. Push yourself; advance yourself. If you want it, you have to work for it. We can only prepare you so much, we can give you the tools. Now it’s all you.” Her words meant much to the team. Yet no matter how many pep talks were given or inspirational phrases spoken, almost everyone was shaking. This moment mattered to every girl who was to step on to that blue mat. Before they even knew it, the girls ran onto the floor with their best friends, excited for what was to come. With the blink of an eye, it was already over. The girls, arms wrapped around their teammates, made their way off the mat. Emotions about the performance were mixed; some felt that they could have performed better and were disappointed, while others believed they gave it their all and were content. A few hours later, the team gathered at the baseball stadium for awards. The cheerleaders were competing against 63 other high schools for a spot in semi-finals. With the heat of the sun beating down on their foreheads, hands tightly holding another, the announcer stepped up to his podium. Wilson waited anxiously to hear their name. A little over five schools had been called out, disappointed, yet the girls held much hope of hearing “Wilson High School'' announced next from the list. Finally, the Announcer said, “last but not least…. Ridley High School!” Wilson High School had not made it to the next round. The Cheer team finished with a raw score of 71.8 out of 100. The Top score in the division had been 87.1 out of 100. Disheartened, the cheerleaders plodded down the stairs and out of the stadium. Alexa Cipolla, a flyer on the team, said, “We tried our best, it’s just sometimes your best isn’t good enough.” She was not wrong. At the end of the day, the girls gave it their all, had fun and made many memories.
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February 2020
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