March 13, 2024
By Emily Reed
Editor-in-Chief
The competition cheer team placed second out of four teams at the New Jersey Cheerleading & Dance Coaches Association State Championship on Feb. 24 at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft.
Senior base Evelyn Notice, who has been a part of the team since her sophomore year, said she expected positive results at states, where the team performed a two minute, 30 second routine.
“I expected our state’s performance to be amazing considering we have been hitting our routine perfectly the previous times we performed it,” Notice said.
She said the team struggled during warmups but delivered a clean performance.
“I am extremely content with how the team did during states. We hit zero [with] no stunts dropped and gave it our all,” Notice said.
Senior base Danielle Paolazzi, who has been on the team since her sophomore year, said the most difficult part of the team’s routine is the first stunt.
“We all really need[ed] to focus and do our best to hit that stunt,” Paolazzi said. “It was a relief and was exciting for the group that we finally hit it. The rest of the routine was a breeze after that stunt because it was the one thing everyone was most worried about.”
“It was a relief and was exciting for the group that we finally hit it. The rest of the routine was a breeze after that stunt because it was the one thing everyone was most worried about.”
Paolazzi said the team struggled with the loss of senior backspot Michelle Bysina, sophomore backspot and base Joely Ferreras and freshman flyer Ava Giordano due to injuries.
“We had to keep changing and adjusting the routine to the people we had left,” Paolazzi said.
Sophomore flyer Cianni Soler, who is in her first year on the team, said the challenges the cheerleaders faced at states were more mental than physical.
“We were all nervous, but we put that behind us and we gave our 100% on that mat,” Soler said.
She said she is proud of the cheerleaders’ ability to adapt following their teammates’ injuries.
“When people were getting hurt, we put in the time and effort to get our routine back together and never lost hope,” said Soler.
