Warsaw cheerleaders off to victorious start
Front row, left to right: Brooke Proper, Kaleigh White, Taylor Smith, Larissa Newland, Dana Wooster, Racheal Greig and Angela Venezia. Back row, left to right: Brooke Robertson, Coach Krissy Merritt, Samantha Flint, Ashley Beckstrand, Sabrina Proper, and Lindsey Kenyon. Missing from photo: Alyssa Girod.
The Warsaw High School varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders are off to a strong start this season, with wins coming in from both regional and statewide competitions.
Both squads competed in the annual Dansville Spirit Challenge on Jan. 14 at Dansville High School. The varsity cheerleaders took first place, while the JV squad took second.
On Jan. 21, both squads competed at the 35th annual Greater Rochester Cheer and Dance Challenge at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, which is the largest cheerleading event in the state of New York. Both varsity and JV placed first in their divisions. This is the third consecutive win for the JV cheerleading squad and the first since 2003 for varsity.
“Both squads have worked tirelessly on their 2.5-minute routines for the past three months, and it really paid off as they gave it their all at competition and the judges’ scores reflected that,” varsity coach Krissy Merritt said in a recent press release. “We are so proud of the girls for their dedication, commitment and their hard-work ethic.”
Varsity team members include seniors Ashley Beckstrand, Angela Venezia, Sabrina Proper, Brooke Robertson and Larissa Newland; juniors Dana Wooster, Lindsey Kenyon, Kaleigh White, Taylor Smith, and Alyssa Girod; sophomore Samantha Flint; and freshmen Rachael Greig and Brooke Proper.
Front row, left to right: Madison McGlurg, Shelby Evans, Mackenzie Evans, Chelsea Miller, Riley Luplow and Makayla Irwin. Back row, left to right: Holiday Makson, Taryn Conley, Marissa Conley, Kylie Parmerter, Mikayla Sheffield and Brittany Wright.
The JV squad is coached by Lisa Evans, and team members include sophomores Marissa Conley, Taryn Conley, Mackenzie Evans, Shelby Evans and Chelsea Miller; freshmen Riley Luplow, Holiday Makson, Kylie Parmerter, Mikayla Sheffield and Brittany Wright; eighth-grader Makayla Irwin; and seventh-grader Madison McClurg. Merritt said it was gratifying for the girls’ efforts to come to fruition.
“They have practiced so hard and come so far the past three years that we have both been coaching, and we are so proud of all the accomplishments they have made,” Merritt said in the release. “We have put in hours and hours of practice, summer camps, and gymnastics classes, and all the hard work has really paid off.”
Varsity will compete in four more competitions this season, including Sectionals and Leagues, while JV will compete in two more this season.
