As the Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team prepares for the winter season, they had many successes to be proud of during their fall competition season. One accomplishment being winning the Section Vl, Class A Championship. The team worked hard all fall and put in countless hours for this championship win.
The Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team traveled to Starpoint High School on October 29, 2023 for the Section Vl, Class A championship. In order to win the championship, the team needed to beat Lockport, Niagara Falls, Grand Island and Frontier. The team with the best score out of 100 would be crowned the champion. The team went into the championship with much confidence in their abilities and talent. It was a question of whether or not they could take down their rival; Frontier High School.
“It was really nice winning the section and beating our rival, Frontier. There is always so much energy between us and Frontier, so it felt really good winning. Frontier’s parents are always in the stands screaming with signs and cowbells, so when we beat them it was kind of like a ‘We did it’ moment for ourselves,” said Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team member Isabella Ziobro.
With past losses to Frontier in the winter competition season, Orchard Park came out with a chip on their shoulder ready to take on this cross town rival. One of Orchard Park’s strong suits is competitive game day cheer. This is what the fall season prepares them for. Orchard Park came out strong with outstanding cheering and engaging energy at the Section Vl championship. Orchard Park scored 91/100, while Frontier scored 88/100.
“As a senior, I really enjoyed taking the section championship win with my team. We worked hard all season for that moment. It was nice getting to the next step of traveling to Binghamton for the second year in a row,” said Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team member Hazel Vitko-Woods.
In previous years, including last year, the Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team made it to states, but many other teams also got a pass to states because it was being served as a trial run. However, this 2023 fall season was more of an honor because it was the first year game day cheer competition was recognized as a sport by New York State. In order to travel to states this year, teams were required to get first in their section. When Orchard Park won the sectional championship, they received the championship banner, blue patches and t-shirts as well as went to states with much more selective competition.
“Ever since I started cheerleading, winning sectionals has been a huge goal of mine. Coming into senior year, I was really excited to work hard and get the job done. I’m so proud of not only myself but all of my teammates and coaches that helped make this possible. It was a senior season I’ll certainly never forget and I’m so happy that we were able to get that win,” said Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team member Taylor Helfrich.
The Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team put in much hard work and dedication to accomplish their goals. This ultimately includes practicing five days a week for two hours. The Orchard Park Varsity Cheer team continues this hard work as they prepare for the winter competitive season.