The ACS Cheer Team won first place at THE ONE Cheer and Dance Finals in the Junior High Intermediate Division held April 2-3 in Virginia Beach, Virginia — a victory that made school history and created life-long memories for the middle school and high school cheerleaders on the team and their dedicated coaches.
“It was so exciting to compete for the first time in school history at a national level and then to see us win first place was even more thrilling,” said cheer team head coach Morgan Gibson. “When they announced ACS as the first place winner I was in shock and couldn’t move. I was glued to the floor while everyone else was jumping up and down.”
Gibson said she is very grateful to her co-coaches — Kelly Flynn and Michelle Wheeler — for giving so much of their time and being so encouraging and prayerful. “Everyone gave 110% to make the team the best it could be and were able to overcome various challenges, including several team members getting ill,” Gibson said.
For the competition, the team performed their routine twice, before two different panels of five judges who were scoring the team in five categories — building, tumbling, dance and creativity, cheer safety, and cheer deductions.
“The team performed its routine with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and joy,” Gibson said. “Even the judges said they were impressed with their excitement and showmanship.” For winning first place, the team received a championship banner that will be hung in the ACS gym, each cheerleader received a silver medal, and each cheerleader and coach received a championship ring.
Gibson also said the national competition called THE ONE FINALS is not over. THE ONE FINALS are held in five different locations across the U.S. from March-May. A final, virtual round of competition to select the overall national grand champion in each competition level will be held in June. A video of the ACS Cheer Team competing in Virginia will be reviewed and scored again by a new panel of judges for that final competition.
Gibson said she is looking forward to working with the team next year and expects them to move up into the Varsity Division of competition. This year’s team did not have any students in 11th or 12th grade, which allowed the team to compete in the Junior High Intermediate Division.
Congratulations to the students who participated on the competition cheer team this season: Ashlee Alford, Isabell Alford, Ava Barberio, Annalena DiMaio, Rebecca DiMaio, April Eaves, Gianna Flynn, Mackenzie Flynn, Makenzie Fresh, Kylie Jackson, Abby Kelley, Rielly Kisielewski, Ava Lombardi, Autumn Loo, Kiera Loo, Ja’Niyah Martin, Jadelyn Maurer, Lydia McCarthy, Tara McCorkle, Heather Milstead, Trieste Musso, Sophia Puglisi, Haven Sanchez, Isabella Santos, and Anyae Welch.
