Our National Champion Cheerleaders Howell Pop Warner JML Cheerleaders
“All the Right Ingredients”
I had an opportunity to talk to the cheerleaders, the trainers, the coaches, and the parents of this
amazing team. This is their story as told by them.
The team consists of thirty five cheerleaders ages 12 – 14, four trainers - high school Students, and four coaches. Many members of the team have been together for a while however, this is the first year on the team for others. Although the team sees some changes year to year this team as an entity has a history of ups and downs.
The first year of competition at the Jr. Pee Wee level the team took third in the nation. The next
year at the same level, the team won the National Championship. Last year, the team didn’t make it to the finals. And this year, with a lot of hard work and dedication the team won the National
Championship. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster. But the girls wanted this and they worked very hard to achieve it,” said Maureen Schaefer one of the coaches of the team and added “The girls found their own inner spirit and they showed that on the floor.”. Maureen pointed out that there was a lot of competition this year at each level. “There we 5 teams competing at Jersey Shore competition, 5 teams at qualifiers, 5 Teams at Regionals, and 9 teams at Nationals and in each competition we won first place. The teams we competed against at nationals were from all over the country; Boston, Texas, California, Florida, and Nevada.”
The team consists of:
The girls:
I sat down with a number of the cheerleaders from the team. When asked what they thought were the most important aspects of cheerleading the girls said, commitment, friendship, team work, and having fun. It was no surprise that commitment topped the list when I found out that the girls practice 5 days a week in the summer and three days a week (two weekdays and Saturday) during the school year plus a game on Sunday. There is something the girls want everyone to know about cheerleading, “It’s a sport!” the girls said in concert. The girls would very much like to destroy the stereo type of cheerleading as a clique. “We work very hard and it is very physical,” the girls said. When asked to sum up their team, “Our Team is like a big family,” said one of the girls emotionally.
The trainers:
The team has four trainers Alex Murtha, Shannon Andl, Jackie Ryan, and Jesse Barry. I asked Alex and Shannon why they volunteered as trainers. “ I wanted to give something back,” replied Alex and Shannon added, “Being able to help the girls.” While I was talking to the girls I got a sense that
they were like big sisters to the girls on the team. When asked what aspects of being a cheerleader and a trainer do you think will carry over and help in other aspects of your life Jackie responded, “Definitely the discipline, leadership qualities, and team work.” All the girls emphasized the importance of building the girls self esteem.
The Coaches:
I got to talk to Cindy Andl, Diane Canella, and Kerri Neill three of the teams four coaches. Cindy
had been a professional cheerleader for the New York Cosmos and was a Pop Warner Cheerleader growing up. One of the reasons Cindy became a coach had to do with an experience she had as a middle school student. Cindy said, “I was discouraged from being a Middle School Cheerleader because the coach told me I was too thin. I lost interest for a while until someone suggested I try out for the Cosmos.”
Diane and Kerri, had no past cheerleading experience. Diane admits she was nervous at first becoming a coach but got involved for her daughter.
The coaches had a lot of praise for the girls dedication but also pointed out how helpful the parents had been throughout the season.
The Parents:
I had the opportunity to talk to some of the mothers of the girls. After talking to Maria Urso,
Denise Vogal, Mary Handy, and Debbie Long, I could tell the mothers were a very integrated part of
the team. The mothers echoed the commitment involved but they also talked about the cooperation with all the mothers and how they helped each other out carpooling. They praised the dedication of the coaches and trainers. Mrs. Urso also pointed out the importance of Mother Daughter time.
This team has all the right ingredients for the success they achieved; dedication, team work,
friendship, cooperation, and an emotional bond that makes them close like family. What I saw were young girls working hard and growing up together, having fun with the support of the trainers,
coaches, and their parents and making memories that will last a lifetime.
And remember
“It’s a Sport!”
Getting a Job as a Teen By: Sarah Russell 
