Cape Coral Storm Junior Varsity Cheerleading Team looking to repeat as national champions
Squad to compete in Pop Warner National Cheer &?Dance competition starting Tuesday
A talented and tight-knit group of Cape Coral cheerleaders will showcase its skill on a national level next week as the team vies for the top prize in the sport.
The Cape Coral Storm Junior Varsity Cheerleading Team will leave it all out on the mat at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando starting Dec. 7 in an attempt to take home the Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance crown.
These girls are no strangers to the big stage, as they are defending their national championship from last year, when they were tops in the Pee Wee Division.
Led by head coach Beth Morrish, a Cape Coral native, the group is made up of 31 girls from the ages of 11 to 13.
The season stared Aug. 1, and since then the team has vaulted its way through local competition and regionals (multi-state), where only the top-two placing teams advance. Now the team will once again try to claim the top spot as the most complete squad in its category nation-wide.
“You want to compete against the best of the best,” Morrish said. “It’s not going to be an easy ride, that’s for sure, and we’re ready for it.”
So, what makes them so successful?
“I think the biggest thing with these girls is the foundation that was built and set for them,” Morrish said. “The majority of this team I’ve been with since they were 5 years old. We’ve worked our way up, come back every season and drill the same basics before we move on to the more complex skills. I don’t ever let up on that foundation that we’ve built, because they need to know that has to be there.”
Morrish noted that she saw something change in squad last year, and that was the girls pushing one another and holding one another accountable.
“That was a huge turning point for this team,” Morrish said. “Year after year as they’re advancing in age, I’m the one pushing them. And then starting last year is when I started to see the curve of them wanting to push each other. They want to succeed, and they know they can only do that by leaning on their teammates and their teammates’ success. It was special to see and they’ve carried it through to this season.”
The team has clicked so well that it’s allowed the coaches to ramp up the level of difficulty, and it’s been paying off. They’ve nailed whatever skill their coaches have thrown at them, and are always hungry to improve and try new things.
Morrish said their scores in both the local and regional competitions this year have been a solid five points higher than their national championship winning score from a year ago.
“This shows me that this is the hardest they’ve ever worked,” Morrish said. “This is the hardest routine they’ve ever had, and this is the furthest they’ve ever pushed themselves and we’ve pushed them.”
The sport of cheerleading isn’t all pom poms and synchronized shouts, these girls put on full aerial and acrobatic stunts that take a high level of skill and athleticism. Practices includes lots or cardio and core strength workouts to build and maintain their condition.
“It takes a lot of strength and repetition,” Morris said. “Our flyers pull very complex skills and our bases are holding an entire person above their head. They need the whole thing to work in order for it to stick. Sometimes these girls are picking up someone bigger than them.”
The Storm coaching staff, which has been together as long as the girls have, has developed strong communication skills with the girls and how to get the best out of them. Having that bond and knowing what makes each individual able to reach their full potential is paramount in a successful squad.
Morrish, who has a plethora of experience in the cheer world and has won dance championships representing the Storm, said her squad has surpassed the skill level of girls their age and even older.
“They want to do better, they want to know more, and that’s what pushes them,” she said.
To get where they are today, cheer hasn’t just been a fun activity to do with friends, it’s a way of life and a massive commitment.
The girls juggle school, three to five nights of practice per week, along with game days supporting the Storm football teams.
“They have to be here on time. They know I have the highest expectations,” Morrish said. “It’s disciplined. Sometimes it’s downpouring and we’re freezing and shivering, but our girls are out here doing their thing. Everyone is choosing to be here, and everyone is choosing to put this in their hearts and at the forefront of what they want to do, and it’s really special.”
They have to make it count on the competition stage as well, as there are no second chances or do-overs, just the squad and the mat and the judges watching every move.
“They put in hundreds of hours of practice for a 2-minute and 30-second routine, that if they’re lucky they get to perform three times,” said Storm Cheer Vice President Bill Johnson Jr. “If you don’t hit it, you’re done. In other sports, you can lose a game and still make it to the playoffs and win. We have a short amount of time, and we’ve lost by fractions of a point in the past. It’s a hard pill to swallow.”
No matter what the outcome, the coaches and supporters hope these girls have fun and are working towards becoming positive members of the community as they continue to mature.
“The most important thing at this point is that they’ve worked so hard to get to this now, that as long as they get out on the floor and I see it in their faces, that’s the best reward,” Morrish said. “I tell them to just enjoy it, have fun, and to soak it all in.
“We’re getting them ready for what’s in the future, whether that’s high school, college, academics, sports. We want to make sure they can interact on a team, push a team, listen to a coach, so wherever they go, they’re ready for the real world.”
Storm cheerleader Kilee Royster called the Storm a “family” and a welcoming environment that brings people together and creates close friendships.
Of the coaches, Storm cheerleader Julianna Cason said, “They’re not just your coaches, they make you feel a part of the family and team. It’s a really fun atmosphere.”
Royster added, “My favorite part is going out and traveling and competing. I really enjoy pulling the routine together and seeing the finished product, especially when we’re on the mat. And it’s a really good once we know we hit it at a competition.”
All that’s left is to drill their routine over and over and make sure they head into nationals in the best possible mindset.
“It’s really exciting but it’s really nerve wracking,” said Cason, 13. “We know we have a lot more competition to face, but we hope to become national champions again. When you walk out you can get nervous, but once the crowd starts cheering and the music plays, you get really excited and the adrenaline starts rushing in. It’s a great experience.”
Royster, also 13, said it’s satisfying when the team sees its efforts paying off, such as earning a trip back to nationals.
“We put a lot of hard work and dedication into the routine, and it’s a really good feeling when we accomplish our goals,” Royster said. “When we see what we can do, you just say, ‘wow.'”
Cason ended by saying the squad will all be pulling for one another as they get set to compete on the grandest stage next week.
“We want to have a good morale on the team and want to give each other positive feedback and help one another get better and perform our best,” she said.
For any girls interested in joining the Storm next season, signups are in the spring and all girls welcome, no one gets turned away.
For more information, visit cyfastorms.org.
— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj