Dallastown Cheerleaders returned from UCA Nationals with a National Championship in a brand new division, D1 Small JV Intermediate Traditional, and a 7th place finish in D1 Medium Varsity Gameday.

From Feb. 6-8, 28 girls from the Dallastown Competition Cheerleading Team competed in the National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC), performing gameday and traditional routines to showcase their skills.

The event was hosted by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) in Orlando, Florida, and cheerleaders all over the nation qualified to compete.

The competition team practiced two times a week, in addition to supporting the football team on the sidelines, starting in August. They attended several camps and choreography sessions to create and perfect their routines. 

Their season started in October with many local and regional competitions. They were crowned YAIAA Championship, placed second in the District III Championship, and were semifinalists at the PIAA State Championships.

They also competed at a UCA Regional event in November, receiving first place in each division which earned them their bid to Nationals. 

These intense practices increased to four times per week closer to UCA Nationals, along with hard conditioning and workouts to make sure the team was ready to compete while also supporting the wrestling team at matches. 

After all the hard work and dedication that the girls put in, it was finally time to showcase their skills, and they did not disappoint. Among over 100 teams, Dallastown came home with first place, 7th place, and a semi-finalist finish in the respective divisions.

“I loved seeing the joy on everyone’s faces when we won our national championship with the JV Intermediate routine! It was a brand new division at Nationals, so we are the first ever Small JV Intermediate champion,” said Coach Erin Miller.

This was also senior Bella Scheerer’s fourth and final time competing on the Nationals stage.

“It was definitely defeating knowing that was my last time ever, and we didn’t place as high as we had hoped. We had worked hard for the entire year through all-day camps, long practices, and back-to-back competition weekends. However, looking back on past nationals, we have improved and come back with more fire every year. 7th place in the country is something to be proud of.”

The trip to Nationals wasn’t just about competing, though, as the girls also made amazing memories with each other in the happiest place on earth, with a couple of days to explore the Disney parks after competing.

Scheerer reminisces on her favorite memories from the competition season.

“My favorite memory from this year’s nationals was at the end of the routine for game day prelims when all of our shoulder stands hit. All of our families and coaches were at the front of the mat and went absolutely wild, as it was a skill we were initially worried about.”

Senior Maria Malu Malu also reflects on her competition season and the lessons she’s learned.

“I have learned that hard work does pay off, like when we went a month without competing, and then went off to Nationals and won a National Title. It really shows that the work you put in, you will get out.

Overall, this competition season was definitely very memorable, and will go down in the record books for years to come.