Greendale, Menomonee Falls cheer teams celebrate national titles
Greendale and Menomonee Falls high schools celebrate national cheer championships
MILWAUKEE - Cheer teams from two southeast Wisconsin high schools were recently crowned national champions at a Florida competition.
The Greendale High School team, along with the school's band, won the Universal Cheerleaders Association National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, which took place from Friday, Feb. 9 through Monday, Feb. 12.
The Greendale squad took first place in the varsity game day live division, which focused on crowd-leading ability, execution, energy and overall performance.
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"Last year when we went, we came super close to first – we took second place – and then this year going into it knowing what to expect from last year, I think it really gave us the edge that we needed in order to win," said Greendale senior Ben Wimmer.
The Menomonee Falls High School cheer team also won a national championship at the same competition. They took first in the small varsity co-ed division game day category. The game day routine is three minutes long with the team rallying and hyping up the crowd.
Coaches said this year was the team's first year competing in that division, and it's the school's first national championship.
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"It felt really nice because we practice almost like 365 days a year, so it really definitely paid off," said Menomonee Falls senior Carissa Erdmann-Reaves.
For more than 40 years, the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship has been the culmination of the season for cheerleaders across the nation. It is the most prestigious high school national championship in the country.