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V O LU M E XX V I, I S S U E III | M O 63017 | MAR Q U E T T E M E S S E N GE R.COM | N OVE MBE R 2018
Varsity Cheer competes in Regionals on Nov. 10 at St. Francis Borgia Regional High School. The team has won first place 10 years in a row. Photograph by David White
CHEERS TO 10 YEARS jeff SWIFT
FOR THE 10TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, THE varsity cheering squad has taken home the first place title at Regionals. Abby Gradle, varsity head coach, said being defending State champions and Regionals champions was really an afterthought during the performance. “We wanted to make sure that we did our best. Winning 10 straight titles was really just an added bonus that we didn’t try to focus to hard on,” Gradle said. Gradle said she could tell her squad wasn’t focused on the title. “They did great, even under all of the added pressure,” Gradle said. “We weren’t focused on any predetermined thoughts that the judges may have had about us.”
Gradle said their strength in tumbling stood out in the performance. “All of our tumblers did what they do without a hitch,” Gradle said. Junior Claire Scognamiglio, flyer on the varsity squad, said the whole experience was nerve racking, but it really paid off in the end. “When it was all over, it was the greatest sense of relief,” Scognamiglio said. Scognamiglio said that one of the team’s biggest strengths is the support they have for each other. “We did a really good job of cheering each other on and making sure that we all have the confidence to keep going,” Scognamiglio said. Scognamiglio said this performance has been a long time coming.