Cheerleaders Heading to Nationals

It’s off to Walt Disney World for the Barrington Pop Warner Junior Midget cheerleading team.

The squad of 11- and 12-year-old girls placed second at the New England Regional Competition in Worcester on Saturday, Nov. 19.  The top two teams earned a berth at the national championships on Dec. 7.

“The girls worked very hard,” said Coach Pat Martel. “They set a goal and exceeded it. And they did it without complaining.”

Going to the national championships “is something very new to Barrington Pop Warner,” she said. “It is not something that is planned for.”

Indeed, said Dave Bonney, treasurer of Barrington Pop Warner: “This is a tremendous achievement and as far as anyone can recall, this is the first national berth for any team – cheer or football – from Barrington since the inception of Pop Warner in 1971.”

Anticipating the best, the girls and some football players stood outside Shaw’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks on Sunday, Nov. 20, with cans asking for donations.

“We raised $1,800 with our canning drive this weekend,” Bonney said. “We are planning other events - and there is jewelry available on eBay that supports the cause.”

Between now and this weekend, when reservations must be made at Disney World, Martel said, the team is looking to do as much fundraising as possible.

“We’re looking for a lot of little donations,” said Martel, “although if someone wants to make a big donation, it would help a lot.”

Letters have been sent to Barrington businesses for pledges, for instance.

“Any fundraising opportunity that comes our way, we’ll do,” she said.

The team cheered at football games during the Pop Warner season while preparing for competitions at the same time.  Practice for the girls started Aug. 1 with sideline drills. In early September, Martel said: “We started doing competitive routines.”

Teams must incorporate one minute of cheering and 1.5 minutes of dance and cheers to music in every routine, said Martel. Tumbling and doing stunts, of course, are part of the requirements.

The Junior Midget team took first place in their division at the state competition on Oct. 22. They advanced past the first round of regional competition in Springfield, Mass., on Nov. 6.

The regional competition in Worcester was an all-day event, Martel said. The Junior Midget team was the 58th squad to perform at approximately 2 pm.

After their performance, Martel said, the team had to wait for over six hours until their second-place finish was announced at the awards ceremony.

Junior Midget team members include: Megan Boyle, Talia DeLuca, Nicole DeMopoulos, Madeline Durkin, Alexandria Heiser, Emma Katzen, Olivia Kelley, Lila Medeiros, Taylor Norris, Lauren Richardson, Emily Walczak, and Lindsay Wright Coaching with Martel is Monica Koehler.

The team will travel to Disney on Dec. 5 and compete two days later. They will return on Dec. 8. One night is set aside for event within the Disney MGM Park.

Anyone wishing to support the girls can send a check to Barrington Pop Warner, Inc., P.O. Box 192, Barrington.