Shake your pom poms for Norwin competition cheerleading who made it to states this past weekend! The cheer team qualified to attend states this 2023-2024 season and they couldn’t have been more ecstatic after all of the hard work put into making the event.
Most people hear about cheer teams making it to nationals, but qualifying for states is much more difficult. For nationals, invites and bids are given out throughout multiple competitions, but for states the team only had one opportunity to showcase a single routine in order to convince the judges that they deserved to qualify for states.
The team performed one skilled routine with multiple jumps, dances, cheers, stunts, and a lot of tumbling in front of a panel of judges. Even though the girls left their hearts out on the floor, they unfortunately came in 11th place, 1 spot away from qualifying for semifinals. From there, the team would’ve had to place top 6 in semis in order to qualify for states.
Although the girls were disappointed at not qualifying for states, their 11th spot place is, nonetheless, impressive. Competing against around 40 teams in the total division, the competitive Norwin Cheer team worked extremely hard for their spot. The team certainly had its fair share of wins and losses throughout this season thus far.
Before qualifying for states, the team worked its way through the season step-by-step. The team went through a loop this year with injuries, illness, and other factors that affected preparations for WPIALs.
“At WPIALS, we managed to keep our cool and hit one of our best routines and it really gave us the push we needed to get our confidence back and work harder towards states and nationals,” said senior captain Quinn Whittaker.
After gaining back their confidence, the cheer team was ready to work their way to states. In the 2021-2022 season, the team placed 7th in states, qualifying for semis.
In order to attempt to top their performance from 2022 at states, the Norwin Competition Cheer team had to make some changes and improvements to ensure their spot.
“This year we implemented targeted skill development with a focus on refining our stunt technique through on the mat observation and leveraging technology, such as video, for clarity around areas of development.” said Kaitlyn Fung, head coach of the Norwin Competition Cheer team. “Overall, we think one of the primary differences this year was an emphasis on a cohesive team as we continued to foster a positive atmosphere amongst teammates.”
Once the team arrived in Hershey, it was all about staying focused and having confidence in the effort and skills the girls had practices leading up to this performance.
Although filled with nerves, the team’s captains took lead to instill confidence in their teammates.
“I think the main thing is staying calm backstage and remembering all the preparation we had leading up to states,” said senior captain Carly Ziemianski. “Most of our team hasn’t been to states before so letting them know some of the details beforehand was beneficial.”
Despite the miss at qualifying for semis, the opportunity to preform at states was a win in itself for most of the team.
Senior captain Makayla LiVorio expresses her excitement. “I most look forward to having the opportunity to compete at states again,” said LiVorio.
After completing, the girls had the opportunity to eat at a private dinner together as well as take a tour at Hershey Chocolate World. Norwin Competition Cheer couldn’t have been more proud to qualify for states this year, and with an 11th spot in states, just one spot short from semis, the team is more fired up then ever to prove their skill next season.
“Watching our cheerleaders excel in refining their routine, being flexible and adaptive to change, and being resilient during challenging times has made us so proud of our girls and their growth!” said Fung. “As we grow throughout the years, we will continue striving to improve and refine our skills for added difficulty, enhance our overall flexibility, and continue to examine technique in all of our skills.”
