Valor cheer and poms take top spots at nationals
Valor Christian High School (Valor) cheer and poms teams are celebrating big wins after competing for the Division II (DII) national championships in Orlando last month.
Cheer
Valor Cheer all smiles after claiming top spot in Orlando Florida at Division 11 national championships.
The Valor cheer team competed in the Universal Cheer Association’s contest and performed both game day and traditional routines. The team won first place in the super varsity game day, non-tumbling category and won third place in the traditional routine.
Coach and dean of students Kallyn Connor said getting to nationals took a lot of hard work, commitment and trust in each other as a team. The first step was qualifying for nationals, which they did twice, once in Minnesota and once in Denver. Then it was on to Walt Disney World Resort for competitions on January 31 and February 2.
Coach Connor said of the game day routine, “Every part of the routine required precision, strength and confidence, especially knowing one mistake could affect the whole team. We tried to focus on being our version of ‘perfect’ and not focus on anyone else. In the end, ‘our perfect’ ended up being perfect.”
Winning first place was a super sweet victory after coming in second place seven times prior.
For the traditional category, Valor cheer competed in large varsity intermediate non-tumbling. Routines included stunts, jumps, pyramids and dance.
Coach Connor said, “The most rewarding part has been watching the girls grow—not just as athletes, but as confident young women. Seeing them learn to trust each other, push past self-doubt, and show up for one another has been incredibly fulfilling.”
Poms
The Valor Christian High School poms team claimed silver at the Division II, Universal Dance Association contest in Florida last month.
The Valor poms team competed in the Universal Dance Association’s competition, also at Walt Disney World Resort on January 31 and February 2.
The girls took second place in small varsity DII game day (out of 24 teams), seventh place small varsity DII pom (out of 40 teams), and eighth place small varsity DII jazz (out of 38 teams).
Pom Coach Nicole Toscano said that there are so many things they are proud of as a team, but even above the awards, she says it is their unity and love for each other. “Even when faced with mental, physical or emotional challenges, we never stopped showing up for one another,” said Nicole.
“Every single girl uplifted the others, pushed them to be their best, celebrated each others’ victories and grew together in faith. More than anything, I am proud of the heart we carried with us all year long.”
By Karen Leigh; photos courtesy of Valor Christian High School
