(Editor’s note: This is the first article in a series of CYO Varsity division cheer stories SILive.com will focus on leading up the Island championships in March.)
When it comes to competitive cheerleading, especially UCA competitions, less can sometimes be more.
Whether it be for the sake of consistency or being able to emulate what judges are looking for in a routine, teams that go back to their roots and strengths can go far in competition.
And, after their first season competing in the National High School Cheerleading Competition, St. Charles will look to value consistency as it makes its second-ever appearance at the end of January.
“Last year, we tried really hard to figure out what we could make harder in the routine when, really, it would’ve been better to just be more consistent with the things we were really good at,” said coach Jackie DeCarluccio. “For example, we’re a team that spins really naturally while inversions (going from an upside-down to upright position in the air) were something we had to work at, but [in time] we ended up having two really clean skills that looked really good.
“Last year, we had those two things separate so this year we tried to build on our difficulty by having them in the same [sequence].”
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St. Charles will take a world of experience into its second Nationals season
While the Chargers finished in 12th place last year in Disney, one aspect that the school is prepared for this season is the atmosphere of the Wide World of Sports Complex. With the bright lights and large arena daunting to even high schoolers, especially with no other local competition that mimics this design, SCS will look to maximize its crowd effectiveness on the mat.
“We really focused this year on having a clean and simple cheer that can hit hard and get the message across clearly, rather than worrying if a skill will hit or not,” said Courtney Ahern, with Gina Cerezio and Taylor Stasi rounding out the staff. “Now, they can focus on specifics like their crowd effectiveness, their voices, the way they place their signs. We really drilled that in the past few months, so we’re really hoping to make a difference in that section on the scoresheets.”
Having just three more weeks until it takes to the mat, St. Charles looks to stay as “locked in” as it can by running as many full-outs as possible.
The Chargers, valuing consistency in its routine, look to make some noise in Florida in three weeks. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)
“We want to make every practice as close to competition-ready as we can, including getting as many hits as possible,” added Ahern, noting that the team won first in the Large Junior High division at the Northeast Regionals. “When we went to Regionals, we had 15 hits under our belts so we knew there was a good chance they would hit that day. They had so much confidence walking out there that we were just as confident in them.
“The practice after Regionals was the most confident we ever saw them, and they’ve built off that ever since.”
With the ultimate goal of a hit in semifinals and advancing to finals, DeCarluccio and Ahern agreed that the team dynamic will play a huge part in how the Chargers fare in Florida.
“Their team dynamic is so important to us – I think the more they work together, the more they can build their confidence and get into the flow of being consistent and hitting,” concluded DeCarluccio. “We want to put a hit routine on the mat and, ideally, make finals and we believe our girls have a really good chance of that.
“But, at the end of the day, we would be happy if they perform the way we know they can and that they’re proud of themselves when they walk off the mat.”
The Chargers, valuing consistency in its routine, look to make some noise in Florida in three weeks. (Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)(Annie DeBiase for the Advance/SILive.com)
CHEERLEADER’S CORNER
The Staten Island Advance/SILIVE.com, to highlight some of the young cheerleaders spending multiple days a week practicing and preparing for competition, spoke with eighth-graders Izzy Coluccio (main base), Guiliana Gatti (flyer) and Olivia DiMeglio (backspot) to get their thoughts on Nationals.
What do you like doing most in your routine?
IG: My roundoff back handspring tuck – I like the feeling of the tuck when I tumble.
GG: I like stunting because I feel confident in the air and it makes me feel happy when we hit.
OD: I also like stunting because I know we can hit [our] stunts.
What are you looking forward to most in Disney?
IG: Going into the pool and hitting [our routine].
GG: Eating Mickey waffles and getting a hit.
OD: To go on the rides and win.
What’s one pre-competition ritual you have?
IG: I get Starbucks every morning – a strawberry acai refresher with light ice, lemonade and no strawberry chunks [laughs].
GG: I eat a buttered bagel every morning, toasted, before we come to practice to warm up.
OD: I get Dunkin Donuts every morning – a mango dragonfruit refresher and a bacon, egg and cheese.