The varsity cheerleading team at West Hempstead Secondary School traveled to Florida after receiving an invitation to compete in the National High School Cheerleading Championship.
The team represented the Rams in the Universal Cheerleaders Association’s competition, hosted by Disney World in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.
“I’m really excited to go because I feel like we have such a big chance at winning and going to semis this year,” Sophia Rae Montes, 15, a sophomore on the team, said before competing. “I feel like this year’s routine is a lot more energetic and interactive than last year’s routine. And we’re all excited to go.”
To reach the nationals, teams must receive a bid, and West Hempstead had to compete at regional competitions and achieve a score high enough to qualify. The Rams have been invited to the national championships every year since 2017, but this time the girls competed in the intermediate division, which is new to the UCA competition program.
“The skills that are required are not as complex as the regular competition’s skills require,” Kristen Lynch, co-coach of the West Hempstead team, explained. “Our routine is good, but the skills aren’t too complex, so we decided to go into this division because an intermediate space is where we’re at.”
After competing in a more difficult division last year and failing to advance to the semifinals, the team’s coaches expressed hope that competing in the intermediate division this year would improve their opportunity to advance in the competition.
“Going into this year, we’re actually a bit more knowledgeable,” Lynch said.
West Hempstead competed with a traditional routine, which included a cheer and then a series of stunts and dancing set to music. West Hempstead’s team is non-tumbling, so the Rams didn’t perform any flips.
The routine is judged based on the complexity of their stunts, quality of their performance, and a clean routine consisting of sharp motions.
“Within two years, our girls, score-wise, have done a lot more than what we anticipated, let alone some people within the district expected,” co-coach Kristal Hernandez said. “Between last year and this year, the program has definitely gone uphill — the girls’ talent, their dedication, wanting to get better in every way possible. As coaches, we’re impressed.”
Co-coaches Hernandez and Lynch both cheered competitively at LIU and competed in the National Cheerleaders Association College Championship. Lynch has been a cheer coach for 11 years and Hernandez for four. This marks their second year coaching the varsity program in West Hempstead and taking the Rams to the nationals. Last year, they were named Nassau County Section 8 Class C Coaches of the Year.
Hernandez and Lynch draw inspiration from their time as college cheerleaders to motivate the team and craft routines.
“High school cheerleading has changed immensely,” Hernandez said. “The skills the girls are throwing, is what we used to do in college.”
“I have a lot of faith in this team,” Destiny Smalls, 15, the team’s sophomore captain, said. “We overcame so many obstacles and so many challenges, and we continue to grow everyday.”
West Hempstead fielded a 15-member team, largely composed of eighth graders, freshmen and sophomores.
“Because some of the girls are in eighth grade, they only have one year of experience with cheer in middle school before competing,” Lynch said. “So getting them into a competitive mindset is a bit challenging, but our eighth graders are forming a great foundation because they’ll be together until they’re seniors.”
“I’m looking forward to getting to be with these girls every day,” Smalls said. “It’s another chance to grow our bond.”
West Hempstead’s cheer team placed 14th at nationals and did not advance to finals.
Before the cheer team left for nationals, a showcase send off was held after school in the gymnasium at Cornwell Avenue Elementary School on Jan. 28, after the event was rescheduled due to the snowstorm two days earlier. Friends, family and members of the local community were in attendance to cheer on the girls and show their support.
The event began with cheers and a dance routine performed by students from local elementary and middle schools. The young athletes learned these routines at a youth clinic hosted by the high school’s cheerleading team the week prior, as part of a fundraising effort to pay for the trip to nationals.
The team’s other fundraisers included holding bake sales, a clothing drive, and raffles and offering football boxes.
The high school girls then performed the routine that they used in the competition, loudly and proudly representing the black and gold.
“The cheer team is a tremendous asset to the school because it embodies all the things that make a good athlete,” Jonathan Gill, West Hempstead’s athletic director, said. “They have great teamwork, resilience, trust and camaraderie. We’re glad they get to experience nationals.”
