Clark Pop Warner Cheerleaders Bring Home National Trophy

Last Friday was a proud day for the "silver, blue and white": For the first time in Clark Pop Warner history, a Clark cheer squad, the Midget Large Novice team, earned the privilege of competing in the National Pop Warner Cheer Championships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  

Clark's Midget squad, consisting of 27 7th and 8th graders, began preparing for competition in August, in addition to performing at the Clark Pop Warner Midget football games all season. En route to Nationals, the Midgets won first place in the local Raritan Valley competition in October. Moving on to the Metro Qualifiers in late October, the Midgets took second place. Finally, at the Pop Warner Eastern Region Championship in November, with stiffer competition and a larger pool of competitors from several states, the Clark Midget squad placed runner up to last year’s 2010 National Champions, the Riverside Bulldogs. Only the top two Eastern Region winners in each division advance to Nationals.

“What an incredible moment it was to hear the Clark Crusader name announced at Regionals!," said Coach Melissa Sapia. "These girls worked so hard and have dreamed of that moment for years.”

Winning an opportunity to compete on the national stage was a thrilling high point for the girls, some of whom have cheered for Clark Pop Warner for eight years, since the age of five. Then placing 4th nationally in Walt Disney World was truly a dream come true. Some girls will be leaving the Pop Warner program after this season, as Clark’s program ends after 8th grade. Such a huge win was quite the way to end their career with Pop Warner.

On the mat during the National Championship, the girls performed flawlessly.  Despite many injuries and illnesses that plagued their season, the team pulled together, executing a trophy-winning performance. “What a proud moment for these girls. This will be a memory of a lifetime for them,” said Coach Kim Shriner. 

The Midgets brought home the 4th place trophy, beating the 2010 National Champions they had taken second place to at Eastern Regionals, and placing behind teams from Massachusetts, Florida and Connecticut. The point spread between second, third and fourth place was less than one point, an extremely tight margin.