Fallon Middle School Cheer Goes to Disneyland, Comes Back Champions

By Brooke Legins (Fallon Middle School 8th grade student)

Fallon Cheer Team Members

The time had come. All of our hard work had finally come down to this one important day: Junior Nationals 2013. It sure takes a lot to get a team of 30 girls ready for such an event. Not only does it take countless hours of warm-ups, conditioning, jumping, stunting, and full run-throughs of our routine, but you can’t forget the blood, sweat and tears that go along with each practice. Mental preparation is equally important as physical preparation for each competitive cheerleader. Our coaches always remind us how each individual plays an integral part to the success of the entire team. Without one another, we would not have the strength to achieve our goal of giving the best performance each and every time.

Disneyland, what a great place to have a cheer competition! The weather was great, the parks were fun and the cheer spirit was high. Teams from all over California, Arizona and Nevada had come with the same goal, Junior National Champions. It was fun running into teams that we had met and competed against in the past and also meeting new cheerleaders and sharing experiences. It was exciting to be in the “Happiest Place on Earth” doing what we love with the support of our family and friends. What could be better?

Sunday, competition day, started out with an early morning team bonding and words of encouragement from our wonderful coaches and inspirational past Fallon cheerleaders. Butterflies began fluttering in the stomachs of not only the newest members to the team, but also to those who had experienced a national competition before. As we said goodbye to our family and friends, we headed out the door together to begin a long and nerve-wracking day.

First to compete was Fallon’s five person stunt team. With a near flawless routine, our expectations were high. With the news that the stunt team came in first place, the stunt team took their positive energy and confidence back to the team who was now warming up for their chance to compete. After giving one the best performances of the entire year, we clinched a spot in the top 3 of our division. This news only made our climb to the top that much closer. Now, all we had to do was focus, keep our nerves in check, and deliver another amazing performance. That is just what we did.

With our heads held high, we proudly took home the third place trophy in our division realizing the amazing talent of our competitors. The hard work did pay off as we all gave our best. Along with this good news came the surprising announcement that Fallon’s stunt team had received the top score of the day and was rewarded with the title, Grand National Champions! What a way to end the season. We couldn’t be more proud of ourselves for the effort and dedication we put forth as a team…together!

I feel truly blessed to be part of such an amazing group of girls who are not only talented cheerleaders, but are friends who are like family to me. I will remember these moments as a Fallon Middle School cheerleader for the rest of my life.

Fallon Middle School Cheer Team

Fallon Middle School Cheer Team

Fallon Middle School Cheer Team