Cheer squad leaps to a top U.S. ranking

The Freeport High School cheerleading team tumbled, twirled and danced its way into the school’s history books by earning a ranking of 22nd in the nation this season, while winning titles and accolades at the county and state levels along the way. “Every competition was leading into the next,” said coach Laurie Kolodny. On Feb. 25, the squad won the Small Division I cheerleading competition at Wantagh High School, earning a trip to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Cheerleading Championship in Syracuse on March 3. There, FHS placed fifth. Seniors Erin Dean, 17, Emily Peralta, 17, and Katherine Leon, 18, sat down last week after their busy season to reflect on all that the squad had accomplished this year. The three started cheering at J.W. Dodd Middle School, and six years later they were members of the first Freeport squad to attend the National High School Cheerleading Championship at Walt Disney World — the most prestigious cheerleading competition in the country — on Feb. 10 and 11. “Every expectation we had, they surpassed it,” said assistant cheerleading coach Chrissy Prisco. “They didn’t just meet it, they surpassed it from Day One.” While at the NHSCC, the girls qualified in Group B for the semi-finals. They did not make the finals, but came away ranked among the top 25 teams in the country. “They rocked,” Kolodny said. “They went to nationals hitting three routines. It was exceptional.” Kolodny has been Freeport’s cheerleading coach for 29 years, and 2018 was the first time she took a squad to nationals. It was a long and grueling road, she said. Usually, the cheer schedule starts with football season, followed by basketball. Midway through the basketball season, cheer competitions start in early November and run through the first week of March. The start of the season, according to Peralta and Dean, was rough this school year. “We got through it,” Peralta said. “We practiced five days a week, and on competition weeks, we practiced on Saturdays.” “Every practice, we motivated each other,” Leon said. “It was also mental and emotional for ourselves and teammates.” Dedication is critical to succeeding at the national level, Kolodny said. “It takes a special kind of girl to be able to do this,” she said. “There are a lot of hours that go into practices. That piles up with keeping good grades and other school activities.” Freeport cheerleaders don’t just cheer at games, Dean said. They also spend time volunteering for community-service projects and helping raise money for Freeport High’s Dollars for Scholars, a scholarship program for athletes. When the girls aren’t practicing or studying, they’re working at part-time jobs or spending time with their families.

“We’re like sisters,” Peralta said. “I spend more time with them than I do with my own family. We motivate each other, and we give each other tough love.” Teary-eyed, she continued. “I’m going to miss it,” she said. “It’s going to be weird starting the school year without putting on my uniform or going to practice.” After graduation, the seniors said, they have plans to try out for the cheer squads at the colleges they will attend in the fall. “For them to put on the mat everything they did at the county, state and nationals, they couldn’t be more proud,” Kolodny said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was a fairy-tale season.”