TRENTON, N.J. — They say the comeback is always stronger than the setback, right?
Well, if you don’t believe it, just ask Notre Dame Academy.
After being forced to compete its Medium Game-Day II routine twice at the UCA Northeast Regionals at Cure Insurance Arena due to an injury on the floor, NDA later hit its traditional routine for the first time this season to take a first-place win in Small Varsity II.
More importantly, however, the squad earned its bids to compete at Nationals in Walt Disney World, also taking home a fourth-place victory in Game-Day.
St. Joseph by-the-Sea and St. Joseph Hill also punched its tickets to the House of Mouse, earning second and sixth place in Large Varsity I and Small Varsity II divisions, respectively. Moore Catholic earned eighth in Small Varsity II, and will look to clinch its Nationals spot in a few weeks when it competes at the Keystone Regional on Dec. 7.
1/100
Staten Island HS Cheerleading: NDA, Sea, Hill earn Nationals bids
NDA defies odds to clinch Nationals spots
Midway through its Game-Day routine, NDA suffered a major scare after a flyer fell out of a stunt and hit the ground hard, briefly standing up and trying to continue before going back to the floor. However, after being evaluated by coaches and medical staff, the cheerleader was deemed okay to compete and the Gators performed again about an hour after their original time.
And, if you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t have known anything went wrong.
The Grymes Hill school earned fourth place in the division to clinch its Game-Day bid, scoring a raw score of 90 and a final score of 88 after deductions. It’s important to note that the fall in the first routine did count against the team, with scoring until the stoppage of music incorporated into the final score. All in all, about 1/3 of the routine was judged on the first performance while the rest was based on the second.
“It was something we’ve never experienced before, but our main goal was making sure our athlete was okay and that everyone else stayed in the right mindset,” said co-coach Andréa Vindigni. “We knew we were going back on again, so we told them to just block everything else out and hit [the routine] harder.”
Coming out on the right end of what could’ve been disastrous, especially considering the athlete plays a pivotal part of their traditional routine, NDA’s three coaches agreed the situation showed how resilient the team is.
“They stayed focused and, given the situation, they went out there and gave it everything they had,” added co-coach Kim Fitzgerald. “Not a lot of teams could handle having to get off the mat, regrouping, re-warming up and going back out to perform. We couldn’t ask anything more of them.”
Then, after three hours of waiting between routines, NDA’s traditional squad went out and hit for the first time in competition, ending with a final score of 85.4.
“It was very exciting and we were all happy, especially from where we started in the morning,” said co-coach Danielle Vindigni. “They did an amazing job with switching their mindset, trusting themselves and each other, and they fought for all two minutes and thirty seconds of that routine.
“It was imperfect, but they fought for it and that’s all we ever want.”
With most teams, including NDA, more concerned about earning their bid to Disney rather than actual placement, it’s fair to say the coaches expected the hit to solidify its place in Florida. However, what they weren’t expecting was to beat out eight other teams in a tough Small Varsity division to take first place.
This marks the second time the school earned first at Regionals, a feat easier said than done.
“We never expected it, especially competing in a difficult division. As they kept going to the top five and top three, we kept thinking ‘this one’s us,’” said Andréa Vindigni. “But, when it came down to first and we heard ‘The Gators from Notre Dame Academy,’ we were both shocked and proud of them.
“They fought for that, worked really hard for it, and they deserved it.”
NDA, Sea, Hill earned their spots at Nationals on Sunday, competing at the UCA Northeast Regional at CURE Insurance Arena. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)
Sea, Hill also clinch Nationals spots
Sea and Hill also had plenty to celebrate, earning their bids to the NHSCC with their performances.
For Sea, who earned a raw score of 76.8 and finished with a 72.05 after deductions, getting second place and a spot at Nationals in Large Varsity I was a big accomplishment after competing for just the second time this season.
“There’s always room for improvement, but we’re so proud of how far they’ve come in such a short period of time,” said head coach Kim Kukal. “We were very excited to earn second and a bid to Nationals, as we’ve seen them overcome every obstacle thrown their way [during the pre-season] and come together as a team.
“Their mini pyramid was the best part of their routine today, as they looked confident and strong, and we’re so proud of what they’ve accomplished today.”
Meanwhile, Hill had a raw score of 78.1 before finishing with 75.1 points, which was enough for sixth place in Small Varsity II and a bid to Florida.
With presence being a very important factor to the Hilltoppers, their coaching staff felt the team started off strong with its cheer section and carried it throughout to earn a trip to Disney.
“We thrive off hearing the crowd scream our words with us, and it really gives the girls the energy to make it through the rest of the routine,” said coach Kai Bingham. “There’s always room for improvement in every full-out, but the girls make it a point to give 110% in every performance they do.
“We’re excited to get a bid and grateful to have the opportunity to represent [St. Joseph Hill Academy] on the Nationals mat for another year!”
NDA, Sea, Hill earned their spots at Nationals on Sunday, competing at the UCA Northeast Regional at CURE Insurance Arena. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.