The squad, the nucleus of which has been together for at least
three years, finally earned the right to call themselves the best
cheerleading squad for their age group in the greater Bay Area
region.
The squad was formed as seven and eight year olds several years
ago and has stood out since. Several remained from a nationally
ranked championship squad from the year before.
The squad, the nucleus of which has been together for at least three years, finally earned the right to call themselves the best cheerleading squad for their age group in the greater Bay Area region.
The squad was formed as seven and eight year olds several years ago and has stood out since. Several remained from a nationally ranked championship squad from the year before.
As Junior Pee Wees in 2001, their squad, which included current members Devin Brooks, Tonya Carreiro, Lauren Lango and Breanna Knottenbelt were performing routines that were far more sophisticated than most in their division, incorporating difficult stunts and exciting dances that thrilled many crowds.
The team added four accomplished gymnasts to their roster, Brittany Ashley, Rachel Weinmann and Alyssa Sanchez and Krystina Sanders. They also went out on a limb to get an ambitious stunter from the Mighty Mites (two levels down), Erica Rivas.
Pricilla Ramirez, Lupe Delarosa, Brittany Garcia and Megan Sanchez also proved to be valuable additions to the squad. Last year, Reynolds also added two able assistants, Karena Ashley, whose talent and enthusiasm boosted the squad’s morale, and Sue Lango, who took over all the paperwork so that the coaches could concentrate on coaching.
They put together one of the most awesome routines ever done at the Pee Wee level, but a couple small slip-ups on their challenging stunts cost them a league championship, and the opportunity to compete on a national level.
This year, they brought up four girls from the Jr. Pee Wee squad, Genevieve Daoud, Jessica Rodriguez, Deidre Reyes and Nicole Hitchman, all of whom are multi-sport athletes in addition to being experienced cheerleaders.
Their athletic talent opened the door for adding even more challenging stunts to their performance. Then they landed Alesha Corral from Gilroy, who has five years of cheering experience in addition to being an accomplished athlete and dancer.
In March, they added the final member of their squad, Jessica Cook. While new to cheer, Cook is also an athlete and dancer who has also proven to be a fast learner when it comes to the sport of cheerleading.
Coming into the season, Reynolds realized that the new additions would have to be made to feel like a part of the team in order for it to be successful.
So she emphasized team-building exercises early in the season, even more than bringing the newcomers’ competition skills up to speed. As the team began to gel, she found that they were able to perform routines better and better as a group, and even added more difficult feats to their competition routine as the weeks wore on.
By Friday night’s final rehearsal at the Vets building, the team’s confidence was evident.
On Sunday, they went out and performed a flawless routine in front of a packed house of about 4000, including 100 or so local supporters. They compete for the Peninsula championship Oct. 25 at Santa Clara.
If they win, they will head to the Western Region championships held at UC Davis. A trophy there would earn them a trip to Orlando to compete for the right to call themselves the best cheerleading squad in the nation.
