Pop Warner Cheer Squads Take Top Titles [Update]

Update:

The Viking PeeWee cheer team also had an undefeated season, taking home the national title from Florida as well. The PeeWee team is is the 10-12 age group. won with a score of 72.10, just over two points ahead of the Brick Memorial Mustangs (69.98).

Original Story:

The Shelton Midget cheerleaders were crowned the National Champions at the 2010 National Cheer & Dance Championship. The competition was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The squad, composed of twenty girls ages 13 and 14, took the mat and executed an outstanding routine. The Midgets, named the Shelton Vikings, competed against 18 other teams from all over the country in the intermediate small division.

Upon arriving home victoriuous, the team celebrated their accomplishment with a free, fun day at the . They were treated to a session of ice skating, arcade fun and Fun Bowl bowling.

“We were pleased to offer the girls an opportunity to celebrate this wonderful achievement,” said Alan Phillips of the Sports Center. “As a business in their hometown of Shelton, we wanted to show our support and acknowledge them on bringing a national title back home.”

The girls and coaches were acknowledged by the mayor of the , Mr. Mark Lauretti, and many of the city's aldermen. Also, State of Connecticut Representative Rosa L. DeLauro honored the girls with a proclamation about their success and paid tribute to their dedication, perseverance and talent. 

The girls and coaches have been working tirelessly since August to achieve this goal. They maintained the very specific Pop Warner allotted practice hours for months to advance to Nationals. Not just a line in their cheer but also a phrase they took seriously, "We are sisters at heart" instilled camaraderie and dedication that took them from their first practice in early August straight through to Nationals in mid-December. Pop Warner also requires that the participants maintain a certain grade point average in order to compete with their team. These 20 cheerleaders all met this requirement.

The Shelton Vikings competed in four different competitions on the state and New England levels throughout October and November. The first competition on Oct. 9, 2010 was within their division of Pop Warner, the Southern Connecticut League, at which the girls took first place and were also awarded the "SPIRIT AWARD." This is an award given to the team that shows the most spirit and sportsmanship throughout the entire competition, not just while they are performing. The following week, the squad competed and won the State Championship title. They advanced to New England Qualifiers held on Nov. 7, 2010 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Vikings competed against four squads for the right to move on to the New England Regional Competition. 

On Nov. 20, 2010, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the team performed versus nine other teams from around New England and captured the New England Regional Championship title. After each performance they received score sheets and comments from the judges. They used this constructive criticism to finesse their routine under the guidance of coaches Lori Kopchik, Maria Malafronte, Lisa Pavone, Chrissy Manion and Jessica Young. The Vikings took first in all four of these competitions. At the national competition the squad competed against 18 squads from throughout the United States. With their first place win in Florida, the team has achieved an undefeated season.

The is a year-round family sports and entertainment center. It is comprised of The Rinks, North America’s first double-decker ice-skating arena, with two NHL-size rinks stacked one on top of the other. It is also the official practice facility of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, top affiliate of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders. In addition to the Rinks, the Sports Center includes a double decker heated weather protected golf driving range, 18 hole miniature golf course, baseball/softball batting cages, state of the art Lazer Tag, Fun Bowl bowling, Game Zone arcade and Glitter for arts & crafts, the newest addition to complex.