On Saturday Jan. 27 the York cheerleaders performed at their sectional competition, and their hard work they put in all season payed off. The team qualified for state and are now more motivated than ever to succeed.

The cheerleading team had unbelievable support from families and coaches as they competed at sectionals. Their hard work and dedication has paid off, and they qualified for state along with four other teams. The cheerleaders have supported each other all season, and now have another success to celebrate together.

“It’s an awesome feeling to hear your team being called at sectionals knowing you are going and made it to state,” said senior Olivia Sansanelli. “You are proud of yourself for all your effort, but, more importantly, you are proud of your team for helping you get there.”

Cheerleading is a team sport, and every athlete had to work hard and dedicate their time to the team in order for them to succeed. Throughout the season, the cheerleaders have taken all challenges they faced head on as they worked towards a common goal of performing well at competitions.

“The best part was the ending of our routine. We all were so tired by the end and during our pyramid we all were talking to each other and helped motivate each other to finish the routine,” junior Kaitlin Templeman said. “After we hit we all ran off the mat hugging each other. It is a great feeling to know all of your hard work has gotten you to the place where you want to be.”

The cheerleading season had many ups and downs with athletes getting injured. The team had to be adaptable in order to perform well at competitions and achieve goals they had been working towards all season.

“We had a lot of setbacks this season with people not being able to compete and having to change the routine a few days before a competition,” junior Clarissa Kupczyk said. “We worked extra hard to make the routine look as best as we could possibly make it.”

York cheer is now preparing to hit the mat at State. They all know how to practice hard, and will continue to perfect their routine and hit their stunts consistently until they leave for state on Thursday.

“We prepared for sectionals by practicing for two hours everyday for two and half weeks straight,” said junior Sophia Taglia. “We are preparing for state by making the routine look cleaner and just doing what we have been for the whole season–practicing.”