Norwin cheerleaders shine in national competition
The Norwin cheerleaders performed some magic recently in the magical land of the Walt Disney World Resort, during the national cheerleading championship competition in Orlando, Fla.
“We really tried to take it to the next level. They had great execution,” said cheerleading coach Sarah Brooks, about the 23-member squad.
The team finished 13th in the D1 large varsity division in the UCA National cheerleading competition that were held from Feb. 7 to 10 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
“This is also so much better than years past. We also had another gameday routine that performed and we are really proud of them,” said Brooks, a 2016 Norwin grad.
The Norwin squad qualified for the national championships by placing fourth at the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships held in late January in Reading. The Norwin cheerleaders competed against 21 schools in the large varsity division and tied for 4th with Hempfield Area High School. It was the second consecutive year that the team had qualified for the state cheerleading championship.
“This is a huge improvement from years past and the girls worked so hard to achieve it,” Brooks said.
Norwin made the state competition by placing eighth among other large-squad schools in the WPIAL.
“We competed against the best in Western Pennsylvania,” said Brooks, 26, an accountant.
To get ready for the cheerleading competition, Brooks said the cheerleaders practiced four-to-five times a week on their routine, which was slightly different than the routines they perform along the sidelines at football and basketball games. The routines, which are to be no more than 2 minutes, 30 seconds in length, must have stunts, jumps, pyramids, tumbling and a cheer component, Brooks said. The routine that she developed with her assistants, Courtney Shovel and Shanda Swisher, included innovative stunts, Brooks said.
Preparations for next year’s season will begin this spring, when the coaches will conduct tryouts for the 2025-2026 school year, Brooks said.
And the girls that get selected have a summer of practice to look forward to before school starts.
“We have an awesome group,” coming back next school year, Brooks said.
This story has been updated to note Norwin tied for fourth with Hempfield.
Joe Napsha is a TribLive reporter covering Irwin, North Huntingdon and the Norwin School District. He also writes about business issues. He grew up on Neville Island and has worked at the Trib since the early 1980s. He can be reached at jnapsha@triblive.com.
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