By Ed Muniz- Photos by Laura Stubbs and Lauren Gray
** Additional Photos are Available free of the morning session at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p604456056 ** Afternoon session are Available for purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p746802070 **
OSWEGO- This time of the year, deep into the football season, each weekend a bevy of football games adorn stadiums and athletic fields throughout the country.
From the Professional to youth levels, a commonality exists.
Working just as hard as the combatants on the field, are some of the most talented athletes around. They tend to be overlooked until they are featured. Most of the time they put on a performance at halftime that thrills the fans but also keep fans entertained throughout the event with rallying sideline cheers and routines.
Cheerleaders!
Today, cheerleading is bigger and better than ever! Routines are jam-packed with jaw-dropping stunts, expert tumbling passes and meticulous choreography as they gain experience in the sport.
Yesterday’s archaic style of cheerleading featuring chants and jumps has morphed into an impressive act of tumbling and gymnastics; an array of tosses and pyramids and showmanship that truly is a showcase of skills and talents each time out.
The progression of skill development results in teams constantly making routines more creative and more innovative in order to keep up with the demands of increasingly tougher competition.
Teams of cheerleaders now compete in numerous competitions. They display and perform their routines against other squads and no longer are just simply a fixation at football games.
Competitions are packed with teams of different ages and talents with younger teams limited based on abilities while the older, more experienced teams push the limits and capabilities.
Under the Governance of Youth Cheer and Dance Alliance (YCADA) which promotes and encourages the growth of Youth/Rec Cheer, Dance and Spirit-related events, YCADA establishes standardization in the areas of Youth/Rec Rules & Rules Interpretation, Score sheets and Scoring Guidelines. YCADA also provides membership access to training, committees and resources related to the sport.
Cheerleading competitions are judged by a panel of experts who assess a team’s performance based on a variety of criteria. Among what can be judged are Difficulty, Technique, Participation, Combination of Skills, Pace, Crowd leading, Jumps and dance, Tumbling, Originality, Spirit, Appearance and Unity.
Those judging the event have years of experience and involvement in Cheerleading and are experts in their field at determining an awarded point value of each performance.
Among the Judges was Lisa Borzotta, the Associate Director for YCADA Rules, Scoring and Education.
A judge since 1992 and so steeped in the development of the rules and scoring for YCADA, Lisa is among the experts providing their knowledge to the Chicagoland Pop Warner Eras Tour event in Oswego.
“We use comparative scoring, at every level in YCADA is set up with a scoring grid where coaches understand in order to meet a certain scoring criteria, they need to perform certain types of skills. We have judges that track all of those skills and then put that up against our scoring grid and determine where certain skills in each category fall within the scoring grid. We see where each teams falls within the grid in each category”
Traditionally there are about 15 categories on a scoring sheet
Lisa Borzotta went on to explain that judging isn’t subjective, it’s more comparative.
“I’m looking at every team in every division and I’m looking at the way they perform their skills compared to all the teams in their division, based on that and the education we do on the judge side, I then know how to rank them in each category to determine who ultimately gets placed where.”
The Chicagoland Pop Warner 2024 Eras Tour Pop Warner Spirit Competition came to Oswego East High School on October 27 in Oswego.
This Cheer competition featured over 1600 athletes between the ages of 6 and 13 along with over 400 coaches from 23 different associations.
Two sessions were scheduled for the day long event that started at 8 am and concluded near 6 pm.
Spearheading the event was Cheryl Lasson, Chicagoland Pop Warner Vice President of Cheer and Dance and Certification Director of the Mid-America Region.
Lasson and a staff of volunteers and coaches put on an event that was well-run and proficient at getting teams on and off in a timely manner along with an entertaining MC and DJ. The stand of families and cheerleaders were entertained throughout.
“Overall, our spirit competition ran smoothly,” said Cheryl Lasson. “We have a very supportive Chicagoland Spirit Board that helped with every aspect of the competition. From setting up mats and trophies the night before to getting there early to finalize details, they were there every step of the way. We also had volunteers from over half of our associations that helped to make the spirit competition a huge success. We would not be able to put on such a huge event if it wasn’t for all of our amazing volunteers.”
“The Chicagoland Eras Tour Spirit Competition was our biggest competition yet. With just about 1600 athletes and 400 coaches, we are definitely outgrowing our space. Our competition included show cheer, poms, hip-hop, theme, sideline and we crowned 7 Grand Champions during our awards sessions. Our Chicagoland teams now have 2 weeks to get ready for our Regional competition that will be held in Schaumburg in the hopes that they will travel to Nationals in Orlando in December.”
The AM session featured mostly Tiny Mite (TM) and Mitey Mite (MM) squads but not solely. Teams would perform facing the “A” table of judges on one side or the “B” table of judges on the opposite side, alternating throughout with stands filled on both sides of the gymnasium.
The first 20 performances saw squads of TM and MM teams light up the gym with their skills. The younger squads gave their all during each performance, warranting loud cheers and applause from the spectators.
One squad pushed the boundaries of their level. The Hampshire Whippurs MM squad included some tumbling flips and summersaults that thrilled the crowd.
Aurora Lobianco showed just how skilled she is with passes of tumbling and flips, which hadn’t been displayed in the first few squads. Her individual agility and springiness was easily the highlight of the first several squads of the morning session.
“I’ve been a cheerleader for two years. I work on it all the time, I do my roundoff and then bounce up and tuck my knees,” said Aurora. “I practice that a lot. I like doing tumbling a lot. I feel good with my team because some of them are my friends.”
When asked if she could do anything better, Aurora just simply said “No”.
Second year Coach Lisa Markowski added about Aurora and her entire squad of Mitey Mites,
“I love coaching these girls. Just seeing them grow and learn things and show their talents is the years best, just a good mix. Working on tumbling and working as a team is where we have improved the most this year.”
In the Mitey Mite SC2 division, the Whippurs were only topped by one other team. The Bolingbrook Trojans captured the Title by a score of 80.98 to Hampshire’s 79.47.
The Trojans display of unity and crowd engagement in their performance may have been what carried them to first place.
One team that surprisingly didn’t finish among the top two in the MM SC-1 Large division was the Leyden Bears as mistakes hurt their chances. Still, the squad was entertaining to watch. Their ability to engage the audience made them a favorite.
For 8-year-old and 3-year Cheer veteran’ Julianna Flores, it was a lot of fun.
“Tumbling is the best part of cheerleading for me. Stunts are hard because I’m a baser, said Julianna. “I have never been a baser, but I want to learn how to be a better baser. It’s fun to be with the team and the coaches are nice. No mean coaches at all. I don’t think I can do better, I’m pretty good and I’m having a good time.”
Another highlight of the morning session was the Hip Hop performance of the Proviso Dancing Divas. Donning various jerseys and athletic wear, the Divas showcased a high energy dance routine that had all eyes on them. Their individual talents showed even in a choreographed dance routine of unity. Their performance was original and unique to the event.
Among the performers was a lively display by Zahara Kimbrough. She displayed the talent of dance with her rhythmic routine.
“My spot and dancing with all the energy I have is what I thought I did well,” said Kimbrough. “I messed up with the foot work and got stuck so I had to keep going on. I though we gave a lot of energy and stayed together and worked as a team.”
Another Diva front and center for all the judges to see was Saniya Hargrove. Her dance abilities were easy to see why she was near the judge’s table. When asked is there was any pressure to perform right in front of the judges, Hargrove said,
“Yes, there is pressure because I think that they’re looking at the people right in front sometimes. I feel the pressure, but I overcome it by keep on dancing. I really like dancing. I’m pretty happy with how I dance and the team. This team is like family.”
The Divas’ second performance of the morning was a jungle theme routine with inflatable palm trees, a Tiger Queen and throne, along with a couple Divas dressed in photographer gear while the other Divas were in Tiger skin attire.
That too was a unique performance of originality.
Tiffany Kilgore heads the Proviso Dance Divas. As good as these girls are and displayed, things don’t always run so smoothly for Kilgore.
“They’re at their peak or growing up so, attitude is really a number one factor,” said Coach Kilgore. “I’ve developed a relationship with the girls where I am able to talk to them and find out what the issue is so we can get back into that vibe that we need. I have good communication with the girls. I’ve been with them over the last three years.”
“We look to improve different techniques, different stunts and different ways of displaying Hip Hop to the world. Each time we come out to compete, we try to do different dances.”
Coach Kilgore felt the Divas displayed high levels of Unity, Energy and doing something positive in the community to stay focused.
One team’s appearance was quite drawing to the eye and surely had all eyes on them. Appearing in a glistening array of colors that sparkled with every step were the Cary Jr Trojans Junior Pee Wee Pom squad.
Simply eye catchingi. If appearance was the only category, here was your winner. Still, the Cary Jr. Trojans managed to finish second after going through a nearly errorless effort.
Cary’s other Pom performance at Junior Varsity was also highly anticipated. They lived up to the hype. Their routine was all that was expected. They were beyond good, out pacing their nearest competitor by nearly six points in the scoring which is quite a lot. It earned them First Place in the JV Pom division.
In her second year of Poms, Lexi Gomez appears to be a season veteran in her skill level. She added about hers and the squad’s performance.
“I like how I can let loose and be myself but still have a full routine,” said Lexi. “I love that I got to meet new girls and make new friends. We work well together as a cohesive group. The best part of this group is the chance to win and the chance to have fun at the same time. It has been awesome being here. Trying to remember everything is the hard part.”
Coach Monica May stated she loves spending time with all the girls.
“These are amazing girls. Watching them put in their heart and their efforts, a whole season long of a lot of work, and then watching them pay off at comp. They put in a lot of effort at practice, and it isn’t easy trying to stay focused with tweens and young teens. We’ve been together three seasons now; we are quite a cohesive bunch.”
Timing, lifts and other parts of their performance did deliver first place.
Another Squad that thrilled the spectators during their performance was the Tri-City Wolverines MM Glitter Girls.
Displaying timing and showcasing their acrobatics, the Glitter Girls were easily among the top teams of the session.
Among their stellar participants was Mia Lasson. It was easily noticeable her skills and talents among the many during the Tri-City performance. She added,
“We felt we were doing really well during the routine. Everything was working,” said Mia. “I thought my “Missy Elliott” (dance) worked well for me. We did really good. Everything was good about our performance. I don’t think we need to improve. The most fun was everything.”
For Coach Haley Roe, it was a stellar performance.
“The girls did awesome,” said Coach Roe. “Their dances, their facials, their jumps, a lot of their tumbling has come a long way. Overall, I feel like they left it all on the mat. Last week we took first place and we are hopeful we can keep that crown.”
Closing out the morning session was the Bolingbrook JV Sideline Trojans. Their routine scored high on the judges scoring grid with their ability to be in sync and have a good audience rapport during their time on the mat.
Among the Trojans excelling during the performance was Tori Decatur. She spoke of what went well for her squad.
“Our Coaches told us lets be the best team the judges have seen yet,” said Tori. “I thought our performance was among the best to go. I thought our energy worked well but we could be louder during transitions. The teamwork is great and so is the bond we built within our team, we feel like a family. It’s great.”
Coach Rachel Kuchar was quite happy with their performance.
“They were nice and loud, they had really strong motions and honestly, our crowd participation, they worked with their parents a lot more, so our team extended to the fans as well and they knew the words better this time. Definitely a lot of energy,” said Coach Kuchar.
The Afternoon session was just as full of spectacular talent as the morning session. Teams continued to perform at high levels all vying to be among the best of the Chicagoland Pop Warner Cheer program.
Memorial Park’s Varsity Squad was among the top performances of the afternoon. Coach Brown’s squad showed a veteran performance with experience and togetherness among their skill set.
Naomi Green was typical of the leadership displayed on the cheer mat. she added,
“We’re really very energetic, we just bring a lot of energy into our routines. I actually felt we did really good, we prepared for this for a good while. I feel we are very talented. I think we gave the folks a really good show. It’s the best working together and being able to go out and smile and make the crowd really happy too.”
Memorial Park did end up runners-up after a great performance.
Another squad that was impressive and had folks talking were the Yorkville Foxes Junior Pee Wee squad. With a solid routine and unity, the squad impressed the judges enough to finish second in their division. As a newer organization, they raised a lot of eyebrows and have great potential moving forward.
Tinley Domark showed her talents and helped along with others to earn a trophy for the Foxes.
“We have a very cohesive group,” said Domark. “What’s special about this team is just everyone you get to meet on the team along with all the work you put in, it really is a lot of fun. Within the team it’s competitive when we are at competitions but not when we are on the mats. We really have a great group of girls, but we do argue a little.
“They were phenomenal,” said Coach Kayla Djidic. “Hard part for us is Level 2. Its new to us and it challenges these kids, it pushes them to their limits, but they excelled. They want to learn and seeing them work hard and be successful is the best part. In the beginning of the season it was a little rocky learning new things but we were coming out on top now, I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Foxes finished in the top two with a runner-up finish.
The Varsity Tri-City Wolverines also put on a show as the event was concluding. This was the first step in defending a National Title won last year.
Their performance neared the end of a long day but it didn’t affect their display of talents within their squad. Loud, Enthusiastic, Animated and Experienced, they made their routine almost look effortless while everyone watching knew that wasn’t the case. Top in their division, the Wolverines simply looked quite happy entertaining the audience throughout their routine of skills.
Among them was an animated Lexie Minda who had this to say,
“I just gotta really pump it out there. I’m the kind where its always been like that from me. Ive been doing this for 9 years. The hard part of cheering is being and staying positive and making sure we hit stunts. Positive is key to perform well. Everything about our routine is difficult and just remember it is too. Worse part of cheerleading is not being able to breathe after we perform.”
For Coach Candace Battung and assistant coaches, developing a routine and drilling it over and over takes time but obviously, her squad is filled with talented athletes.
“We just drill it constantly,” said Coach Battung. “A lot of it is muscle memory. They don’t take any time off. We made some mistakes but that’s part of their routine, they just keep on going so to everyone else, they wouldn’t know that there was a mistake. We are very skilled. This year after winning Nationals last year, we wanted to challenge the girls, we are trying to repeat but also make their routine harder. They are doing really well, I am very proud of them.
The closing performance brought the loudest cheers.
The Algonquin Argonauts Inspired Cheerleaders brought a gym full of smiles and applause. Choosing not to attend Nationals this year, to see their final performance of the event was truly special.
The Chicagoland Eras Tour Pop Warner Spirit Competition was a day filled with an array of amazing talents. Folks were treated to a display of unbelievable skills by many incredible athletes. Today’s Cheerleaders, from the Tiniest to the most Experienced are no longer just accompanist to football games. These are now skilled and extremely talented athletes that warrant being seen in competitions.
Seven teams were crowned Grand Champions. The best of the best in their divisions. The Elmhurst Bears stood out as they manage to have Four Grand Champions at Tiny Mite, Mighty Mite, Junior Pee Wee and Junior Varsity divisions.
Also awarded Grand Champions were the Junior Varsity Cary Jr. Trojans, the PeeWee Plainfield Saints and the Varsity Tri-City Wolverines Golden Girls.
Elmhurst Bears Tiny Mite SC1 LTD Grand Champions include Avery Anderson, Raegan Corvo, Emily Fisette, Whitney Fisher, Gianna Gollias, Campbell Judycki, Kate Lickus, Harper Peters, Vivian Rafferty, Emilia Schoenberger, Penelope Silva, Cherish Smith, Amaya Solis and Raelyn Tolliver.
Elmhurst Bears Mitey Mite SC1 Grand Champions include Mia Anzaldi, Madison Asher, Zolla Bojorquez, Brinley Cirullo, Izabella Ciszek, Kylie Corvo, Zoe Danigeles, Brooklyn Dasso, Nora DiCianni, Quinn Dolvig, Elizabeth Draz, Layla Dudley, Ella Gallivan, Ayla Gamradt, Abigale Gotfried, Emma Gura, Victoria Hansen, Amy Harrigan, Natalia Kanellakes, Claire Kutza, Eleanor LaVetta, Grace Lickus, Coraline Ludwig, Presley Madsen, Emily Noonan, Claire Ohrtman, Paz Lumea Padilla, Everly Rafferty, Yliana Ramirez, Sofia Rangel, Eden Stasiek, Finley Thornton, Nova Moya and Nora Zinter.
Elmhurst Bears Jr PeeWee SC1 Grand Champions are Mia Alvarez, Kaleah Calderon, Giselle Adeliz Cardenas, Kimberly De La Torre, Emily De La Torre Avina, Brianna Gaeger, Francesca Galloro, Morghan Guidry, Luna Hernandez-Garcia, Elene Hnahein, Stella Karen, Adelynn and Aryanna Lopez, Caydin Mateo, Eloise Ogrodnik, Bella Pina, Valerie Ramos, Elliana Roman, Geraldine Romualdo, Rosalyn Salinas and Isabel Villalobos-Diaz.
Elmhurst Bears Junior Varsity SC2 Grand Champions are Molly Bottari, Brooke Buhrfiend, Stella Cliffel, Cecelia Cox, Marie and Nora Decker, Jessica Dziedzic, Brooke Fisher, Jayne Graf, Sloane Gunkel, Harper Hiffman, Grace Kraft, Kadence Kramer, Olivia Setlak, Jordyn Sutor and Cristel Villalobos-Diaz.
Cary Jr. Trojan Junior Varsity Pom Grand Champions include Ava Carter, Alexa Gomez, Dylan Harris, Ella Heggen, Chloe Jones, Milena Kolconay, Madeline Kustra, Ava Luhmann, Hannah Meyer, Ava Miller, Elaine Myers, Sofia Mykytin, Ella Niedermeyer, Evelyn Reina, Emma Roggenbuck, Lilly Rustin, Chloe Toenies, Gabrielle Walrath and Adalena Weicheck.
Plainfield Saints SC2 Grand Champions include Phallon Brooks, Emily Cuellar, Makenna DeLuca, Chloe Duplessis, Sophia Kurczynski, Addison and Aria McNeal, Sydney Miene, Zoey Purviance, Rowan Sample, Grace Shannon and Angelica Tsipakis.
Tri-City Wolverines Golden Girls SC4 Grand Champions include Angelina Battung, Collyns Caruso, Morgan Douglas, Jayde Doyle, Lacie Farley, Jane Kochanek, Elaina Kukla, Claire Mascolino, Kaitlyn Mayoral, Ashley and Raegan McGlumphy, Lexie Minda, Hailey Mladucky, Alexandra Olson, Gianna Stahurski, Tatum White, Mia Wlodarek and Ella Wood.
First Place Division awards went to:
Tiny Mite LTD- Elmhurst Bears Mitey Mite SC2- Bolingbrook Trojans
Tiny Mite SC1 (small)- Mokena Burros Tiny Mite SC1(large)- Yorkville Foxes
Mitey Mite SC1(small)- Lockport Junior Porters Tiny Mite CORE- Algonquin Argonauts
Mitey Mite SC1 (large)- Elmhurst Bears Jr. Pee Wee Hip Hop- Provision Dance Divas
Junior Varsity Hip Hop- Provision Dance Divas Tiny Mite Pom- Cary Jr. Trojans
Mitey Mite Poms- Cary Jr. Trojans Tiny Mite Pom- Cary Jr. Trojans
Mitey Mite Sideline- Bolingbrook Trojans Pee Wee Pom- Cary Jr. Trojans
Jr. Pee Wee Sideline- Algonquin Argonauts Pee Wee Sideline- Bolingbrook Trojans
Junior Varsity Pom- Cary Jr. Trojans Varsity Theme- Proviso Dance Divas
Junior Varsity Sideline- Plainfield Saints Jr. Pee Wee SC1 (small)- Lockport Jr. Porters
Junior Varsity SC2 (small)- Yorkville Foxes Jr. Pee Wee SC1 (large)- Elmhurst Bears
Junior Varsity SC2 (large)- Elmhurst Bears Jr. Pee Wee SC3- Mokena Burros
Junior Varsity SC1- Darien Swarm Junior Varsity SC3- Bolingbrook Trojans
Varsity SC1- Memorial Park Spartans Pee Wee SC3- Memorial Park Spartans
Jr. Pee Wee SC2 (small)- Algonquin Argonauts Jr. Pee Wee SC2 (large)- Memorial Park
Pee Wee SC4- Mokena Burros Junior Varsity SC4– Mokena Burros
Pee Wee SC2- Plainfield Saints Varsity SC4- Tri-City Wolverines
Inspired- Algonquin Argonauts
