The Malverne varsity cheerleading team hosted its first home competition on Saturday. More than 25 schools took part in a day of events that featured flips, dances, cheers and stunt routines.
“We were hosting a Section 8 cheerleading competition, and we got the pleasure to host it for the first time,” Nesha Sands, who has been coaching cheer in Malverne since 2016. “It seems to have gone seamlessly, so we’re super grateful with how everything has turned out.”
The competition, which drew a crowd of over 200 people, gave the high school an opportunity to highlight its cheer team, which began competing in 2017.
“Malverne hasn’t really been introduced to the different elements of cheer,” Coach Danielle Hinds said, referring to the district community. “They see cheer at games, but never come to our competitions to see what we really do. Now we get to finally showcase what the girls are doing, why we work so hard and how we represent Malverne.”
Planning for the competition involved months of organizing, including the staff and volunteers who helped make the event possible. Even the cheerleaders lent a hand.
“Performing at home, I think there’s a lot more anxiety,” Angelina Williams, a sophomore captain of the varsity team, said. “Especially because you know a lot more people in the stands. So I think it took us a lot to mentally prepare for this competition rather than other ones.
“But this one, we got to show everyone what Malverne is all about,” Williams continued. “There are a lot of people here to support Malverne. This took a lot of work, and it’s been a lot of fun having everyone here.”
After winning the Section 8 Nassau County championship in November and competing in the state championships in upstate Troy this fall, the team has continued to learn and grow.
“I feel like it gave them the confidence that they needed to know that they can do it,” Hinds said.
“When we first started coaching here, Malverne was getting last place in every competition,” she recalled. “We went from last place to making it to counties, to winning counties, to going to states. I feel it gave them the motivation to be like, ‘We actually have a shot,’ and they actually feel like they’re a contender. So they come to practice ready to work.”
During competition, five judges reviewing a team’s tumbling, jumps, stunt sequence, pyramids, cheering and dance routine. Stunt sequences are judged based on the difficulty of the stunts and how they are executed, with judges differentiating between athletic skills and technical ability while highlighting safety.
The Malverne varsity squad took third place in the Varsity Division C Class, behind Cold Spring Harbor and Seaford.
Both Sands and Hinds said they were proud of the team’s performance. “We were really overwhelmed hosting a big event like this,” Hinds said. “But everyone stepped up to the plate, and we would love to do it again.”
