Delaware Valley cheerleading team takes home gold at states

Rebecca Matthews, The Delphi Editor

Delaware Valley Regional High School took home first place at the virtual States competition. Competing against 5 other teams, this win is one to be very proud of.

Unlike previous years, the state’s competition had to go virtual, for which the team had to film its show-stopping routine.

Contrary to last year, head coach Jen Dewire decided that the girls would only perform a game day routine. A game day routine focuses on dancing, jumping, and cheering. Minimal tumbling is allowed, and the stunts are the most basic. In each game day routine, the squad performs 2 dances, an offense or defense cheer, and a longer cheer.

Captains Marissa Laduca, Sarah Kopitskie, and Samantha Kuhl led the team to victory in 2021.

When asked about the decision to only perform a game day routine, Captain Sarah Kopitskie said, “It was a good choice because it gave us one thing to focus on and get perfect.”

As schools shut down and people quarantine constantly, it was an easier idea to focus on one routine and have to work around one rather than two. “Game day isn’t necessarily about difficulty, so it’s easier to move things around if we need to!” Kopitskie said.

“Winning states was super exciting and was one of the highlights of our season!” junior Samantha Kuhl said. “It made all the hard work feel worth it.”

Junior Marissa Laduca seconded Kuhl’s excitement. “It feels amazing to know that all of the work we put in for the past 7 months has paid off.”

To celebrate the victory, each squad member will receive a ring. The squad also celebrated its win at the high school on Sunday, April 11 with a parade of fire trucks.

If you see any of the cheerleaders, make sure you congratulate them on this huge achievement.