Flurry of township cheerleading teams excels at Pop Warner championships
Pair of squads captures national titles
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Their routine was worked around the musical theme “I Can Do Anything,” which was also the first snippet of a song woven into the start of the medley, and the Brick Mustangs Junior Midgets Small Intermediate team of coach Ann Fish lived up to it.

With only one minor deduction, the team captivated the judges while rolling to the Pop Warner national championships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., last week before returning triumphantly on Saturday. The team, which enjoyed a great week of weather at the renowned resort, racked up 87.14 points in the scoring to finish ahead of the Palm Harbor Panthers of Florida, who racked up 86.06 points, and 16 other teams from across the country.

It’s the first national championship for the Mustangs program since the Junior Pee Wees claimed the title in 2003.

“We felt once we qualified for the nationals, the girls performed beautifully,” said Fish of the team that finished first in the state, district and region competitions. “They had a lot of spirit and enthusiasm. We said that as long as they do what they’re capable of, nobody could beat them.

“They went out there and nailed it,” continued Fish. “We couldn’t ask for more. They brought tears to our eyes. We didn’t know how they would place but we felt they did the best they could.”

The Junior Midgets were one of three teams from the Mustangs program to qualify for the nationals, the best showing after 2004 when four teams qualified. The Pee Wee Gold large intermediate of coach Nancy Skoog finished in second place, 1.4 points behind Hazlet. The Midgets of coach Barbara Siepel were fourth.

Three teams from the Brick Dragons program also qualified for the nationals, with the Midget Large Novice of coach and program coordinator Tricia Savage nailing down the national title. It is the eighth national title for the program since 1995.

“My team did an outstanding job,” said Savage, whose 23 girls performed under the theme “Eighth World Wonder.”

“All three teams came along way and worked really hard.”

Savage was assisted by coaches Nicole Basile, Jayne Stites, Joanne Casselli and Sara Zappalla.

The Dragons Junior Pee Wee Large Novice of coach Michele Venice finished in fourth place and the Dragons Pee Wee Dance team was fifth. It marks the 11th year out of 12 that the Dragons qualified a team for the nationals.

“It’s all truly amazing. Really,” said Mustangs cheer coordinator Tina Certo emphatically. “I go back to Aug. 1 when we started and I would not believe three teams making it to the nationals then. But to see that they not only made it, but all three placed in the Top 5 and one won a gold medal is amazing. These girls and the coaches deserve it. They had to do an almost flawless routine and they delivered.”

Certo then broadened her opinion to the Dragons teams as well.

“For every Brick team to come to the nationals and win a trophy is what matters,” said Certo.

“We’re still all in shock,” said Fish of the Mustangs Junior Midgets small intermediate team that included a staff of assistant coaches Erin Duckworth, Linda Sigona, Lauren Wright and Claudia Dressler, who is new to the program. “We have 18 girls and eight of them were on the team since they first came in as 6-year-oldsw.”

Fish said the team caught the judges’ attention from the start.

“The opening of their routine was very visual, very eye-catching as well as the ending,” Fish said. “It was very unique. They started out setting up real tight and then spread out the floor with the way they executed their arm motions. They showed the enjoyment they got out of doing their routine.”

Fish could appreciate the execution of the team from when she first started coaching eight years ago. She had been a Freehold Pop Warner cheerleader when she was a girl “but it’s nothing like now,” she said. “You have to have athletic ability.”

And the drive and the heart of a champion as the six teams from Brick showed last week.