On Saturday, November 5, three cheer teams from Old Rochester Youth Football and Cheerleading (“ORYF”) competed in the New England Pop Warner Cheer Regional Championship held at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield, MA. The Junior Varsity Level 2 Small team (“JV2”) earned first place, ending 11 points ahead of the second place finisher, and now qualifies to compete in the National Pop Warner Cheer Championship on December 9 in Orlando. Prior to the New England event, all three teams placed first in their local district competition at the Rhode Island Southeastern Massachusetts Football and Spirit Conference (“RISMA”) held on October 29, which allowed them to advance to the New England competition.
This is the second time in three years that ORYF, led by Cheer Coordinator Sarah Holick, has had a team reach the national level; the previous time was in 2014 when ultimately the Pee Wee team won first place and the Jr. Midget Team placed fourth.
When asked about their win, Holick commented, “I’m so proud of these girls. They have worked so hard for this and the ORYF family is working diligently to send them to compete at nationals.” She added, “Fundraising efforts like selling pies, hosting a spaghetti dinner, securing T-shirt sponsorships, and even taking donations through PayPal will help us get the girls there.”