By Patrick Z McGavin.
Every fall weekend Brittney Blazys shows off her artistry, precision and skill as a cheerleader for the Orland Park Pioneers Junior Varsity team.
The football team had the deepest playoff run in the River Valley Youth Football League of the Pioneers’ four programs. Blazys and her teammates never missed a beat.
They were an essential part of the team, as important as the star running back or linebacker.
Their passion and synchronized routines brought a different level each weekend, The cheerleaders always measured themselves differently. The games mattered, but so did their performance.
The football games were just part of the showcase. The Illinois Cheer Association State Championships are the ultimate prize. That was the larger goal the team pursued, with vigor and purpose.
“The biggest difference between cheering in a game, and a competition is that with a game, it’s less serious, and we are encouraging the football team to win,” Brittney Blazys said.
“With a competition, all eyes are on you, and you’re competing for yourself to win.”
Over the four-day state competition November 14-17 at the NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, the Pioneers’ JV cheer team operated at a higher level.
The combination of movement, tumbling and emotion proved electrifying with the Junior Varsity Cheerleading squad winning the recreational 6th grade state championship on Sunday, November 17.
In addition to Brittney Blazys, the championship team consisted of Kaelyn Albright, Aubrey Baran, Brooke Blazys, Aviana Briseno, Annabelle Briseno, Oliwia Burda, Giulia Cangelosi, Ellyana Connors, Charlotte Day, Frankie Ficaro, Emma Golonka, Arabella Hernandez, Leah Janota, Bianca Kapusciarz, Flora Lane, Brinley Laniosz, Malayna Marable, Emma Overman, Gia Parisi, Emily Pastiak, Makayla Roman, Emma Ruisz, Luciana Rupp, Alyse Sparacino, Kamilla Ulaszek and Nora Velez.
“When I heard in the awards ceremony that we won first place, I was on top of the world,” Charlotte Day said. “I felt super happy that I was part of our amazing JV team.
“We worked so hard this year and now we are state champions.”
Under the state tournament format, teams must perform a routine without exceeding three minutes, and must be a minimum of 1:30.
Pioneers’ JV cheer coach Brittany Ulaszek said their rhythmic and expertly sequenced performance clocked in at 2:20.
“They just hit it so solid during the preliminaries,” Brittany Ulaszek said. “They were the most confident I’ve ever seen, and that’s why they did as well as they did. We were a good point and half ahead of the second-place team going into the finals.
“Twenty-five percent of your score in the preliminaries goes to your finals’ score.”
The camaraderie, chemistry and solidarity among the cheerleaders radiates in all directions. The individiual pieces all flowed beautifully together, creating a kind of mosaic.
“Our team is so good for many reasons,” Aviana Briseno said. “We have some really strong girls whose tumbling skills are impressive. Our stunts are tough but fun to do.
“Most of all, our attitude shows we work really hard and try our best.”
Out of the strength of the group, the performers found strength and cohesion, becoming ever more confident and capable in what they were trying to achieve.
“They fed off each other in the most positive way,” Brittany Ulaszek said. “In practice a girl accomplished a skill on something she had been working really hard on. All the other girls would see that, and they’d just come back even more hungry.
“It was such a great dynamic. I felt we were very hungry this year. Last year we were the only Pioneers team that didn’t medal. They came back so hungry this year to show that they were awesome.”
Like a chain reaction or the handing off the baton, each performer found their own unity and strength at the ease and power the whole team came together.
“Their group dynamic is the best they’ve even been,” Brittany Ulaszek said. “They were witnessing the others’ progressions, and it lit a fire under them to work harder.
“So many girls did so many new skills, and I’ve never seen that before.”
Just like a football team riding momentum downward, the team acquired a positive movement that could never be slowed down or derailed. By the end, nothing was going to slow them down.
They dealt with adversity, and simply dug in. No challenge was too great, or insurmountable. It was simply a fork in the road, and the team found an alternate path to success.
“Injuries happen throughout the year,” Brittany Ulaszek said. “We had a girl break her finger during warm ups, and she pulled through and ended up being the most valuable player.
“We had another girl fracture her wrist, and she missed a competition, but came back for state, and did great. They held their own. They stayed strong and kept a positive attitude no matter what happened.”
The achievement took on great significance, at once personal and professional. Brittany Ulaszek’s son, Drake, is a running back and safety on the JV football team.
Her daughter, Kamilla, was part of the state championship team.
“By the time of the finals, I was nervous, but also excited because we scored really well on the first day,” Kamilla Ulaszek said. “I knew if we hit another great routine, we’d win the state title, and we did.”
Like the football team, the cheering squad has significant continuity from year to year. An already talented team was further bolstered by four new arrivals that deepened the talent pool.
“We had a lot of new girls this year,” Brittany Ulaszek said. “It was crazy they could keep up with the rest. That’s why it was so awesome, to see girls who had never competed before, or have never done cheer at all.
“We had two girls who never cheered, and two others who came straight from football, and they did great.”
The team took part in a special ceremony with the village president, Orland Park mayor Keith Pekau.
Nearly a month later, and the memories are vivid, intense and beautiful.
“The best part about competing in the state cheer competition was seeing the coaches’ faces after winning first place,” Nora Valez said. “As a team we worked so hard together all season doing stunts, routines over and over again and making new friends.
“It just goes to show that hard work truly does pay off.”
