NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The New Rochelle High School varsity cheerleading squad earned a bid to return to the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in February. The team qualified after competing at the Small Varsity Division 1 level during the UCA Pocono Regional at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania last Sunday. Teams were scored based on overall performance, motions, tumbling, impression, difficulty of stunts, execution, dance and cheer.
The New Rochelle squad now advances to the Championship event Feb. 8-10 in Orlando, Florida, where it will compete in Traditional Cheer and Game Day. The cheerleaders will display the skills they applied while cheering the football team on to the state finals.
The February showdown is the most prestigious cheerleading championship in the country, with more than 800 teams and 15,000 athletes participating. It is held at the Walt Disney World® Resort and nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2.
The squad is coached by Angela Trozzi, Ashley Brennan and James Bench. Trozzi and Brennan cheered together throughout their years at New Rochelle High School.
“We’re looking to build upon our performances each week,” said Head Coach Trozzi. “The team is predominately seniors, and they are highly motivated to end their season on a high note at Nationals and, hopefully, States.”
The New Rochelle varsity team won the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in 2013, and is hoping to advance to the finals this year, something they have fallen short of in recent years.
At 6 p.m. on Saturday, the team will compete at North Rockland High School. The team is also eyeing a trip to the Cheerleading State Championships at the Rochester Institute of Technology in March. After Nationals, the team will compete in Sectionals, which will determine whether it qualifies for the State Finals.