Cheerleaders headed to D-I-S-N-E-Y!
Pop Warner’s 2009 season is one for record books
By Melissa Fili
MethuenLife Writer
For the first time in Methuen history, local cheerleaders have qualified to compete in the Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance Championships, set for Dec. 7 to 11 at Disney World’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
The A Team (Midgets) is comprised of 18 girls, ages 12 to 15, who tossed, tumbled and twisted their way to a second-place finish in the New England Regional Championships last month, thus earning a spot in the national showdown. The A Team is led by coach Patty Hoey and assistant coach Becky Enos.
“(The girls) are more excited than nervous, but the coaches are more nervous than excited,” laughed Hoey. “That’s our job — to be nervous for them.”
First-place finisher the Shelton Vikings of Connecticut also heads to Florida, with both teams representing New England. Cheerleaders from seven regions across the United States will compete.
Pop Warner Director Barbara Walsh is thrilled for the Methuen girls, noting, “I’m very excited and proud of all of them. This team has been through a lot. ... I see the sacrifices they make (in order to be part of the team).”
But the A Team’s trip down South isn’t the only history-making accomplishment for Pop Warner this season. Walsh says this is the first time that Methuen has had three teams — in cheering or football — go as far as regional competition. In addition to the A Team’s big win last month in Worcester, the cheerleading D and B teams (Junior Peewee and Junior Midget) both placed third for New England. The teams qualified thanks to outstanding performances in the Merrimack Valley Championships, Eastern New England Championships and the New England Regional Qualifier.
Methuen Pop Warner has 85 girls in its cheering program, 66 of whom took part in the regionals. Since August they have practiced about seven hours each week, in addition to cheering during football season.
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METHUEN’S CHEERLEADING CHAMPIONS!
A Team
Coaches
Head coach Patty Hoey, assistant coaches Becky Enos and Dawn Gilardi, coaches Mikey Hamel, Tabitha Houle and Lisa Nugent
Cheerleaders
Kaylee Bouchard, Nicole Carroll, Abbi Clegg, Kendall Denose, Julie Desjardins, Alexis Gilardi, Kelsey Halloran, Carolyn Hoey, Maggie Kwakye, Rachael Lesperance, Abby McCarthy, Stefanie McNally, Kassandra Milo, Tori Milo, Jenifer Sullivan, Danielle Thibodeau, Sarah Wachowiak and Shelby Walsh
DONATIONS: The team is accepting donations for their trip to Florida. Contributions can be mailed to Methuen Pop Warner, PO Box 547,
Methuen, MA 01844.
B Team
Coaches
Head coach Donna DelRossi, assistant coaches Karen Sullivan and Denise Iturrondo, coaches Natasha Lagasse, Noelle Travers and Davena Phoeung
Cheerleaders
Katelyn Charity, Kayla Clegg,
Ashley DelRossi, Madison Drouin, Drew Dunn, Jennifer Fredericks, Jadah Frederique, Heather Hutnick, Kailey Iturrondo, Brenna Kunze, Laurie Lugo, Cassandra Mazzone, Jamie Moynihan, Morgan Murphy, Maria Nunez, Dahlia Osorio, Janeyse Raposo, Yequenia Rivera, Cassandra Viger, Madelyn Wallace and Hailey Welch
D Team
Coaches
Head coach Lisa Francis,
assistant coaches Kirstie Hailey, Shannon Berry and Christy Coonradt, coaches Julie Torrisi and Nick Licciardi, and team dad Corey Coonradt
Cheerleaders
Arianna Angelone, Jordan Berry, Madison Cogill, Stefanie Coonradt, Nadia Dietz, Morgan Donovan, Jillian Ferris, Kayla Francis, Ylanna Frye, Melissa Gaffney, Hailey Lagasse, Kaitlyn Latulippe, Jaslyn Marques, Emily McGovern, Hannah Miller, Cassandra Palacios, Chelsea Paquette, Sidney Patti, Melissa Perrault, Mary Richards, Nikiya Salois, Adriana Sanguedolce, Deysha Santiago, Carmynn Simpson, Tiffany Soto, Emily Wallace
and Adrian Weathers
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B Team at the Tsongas Arena, also named Eastern Mass. champs in their division!
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D Team at the Mass Mutual Center on Nov. 7, after being named New England Regional Qualifier champs.
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Walsh says that at every competition, teams get one 2 1/2-minute shot in front of the judges.
“At the regionals, the A Team’s routine was right on, except for a few minor things,” she said, “but we had a good feeling.”
She recalls that when the judges announced the team rankings, it was chaos.
“B Team came in third, so I was consoling those kids and hugging all them. Then A Team wins and they’re screaming their heads off, while for the Methuen kids right next to them it’s the end of the season,” said Walsh.
At least five A Team teammates, including Walsh’s daughter Shelby and Hoey’s daughter Carolyn, were on the D Team back in 2005 when they finished a disappointing third place, so this victory was exceptionally sweet.
To prepare for the national competition, Walsh says the A Team — which thrives on having a lot of tumbling in its routines — has already started adding more difficulty and dance moves to their Florida program.
“They’ve changed the first stunt to a heel stretch, with all three ‘fliers’ simultaneously in the air, holding their leg up in front of their face, followed by a ‘scorpion’ then an arrabesque,” Walsh said. “The whole team is involved in throwing and catching.”
“They’re a good blend of girls,” says Hoey, who is in her third year of coaching some of the girls. “They become a family, they cheer each other on and take care of each other.”
Now that sounds like a winning team!
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