Hempfield Area Competitive Cheer coach Suzannah Mayer is still processing the teams’ win at the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Fla.
It was the team’s first championship victory since 2021, said Mayer, who has coached the team since its inception in 2013.
“Over the last four years, it felt like it was never going to happen again, because every team we compete against is so excellent,” she said.
Not affiliated with the school district, Hempfield Area Competitive Cheer features youth athletes from Hempfield Area, Norwin, Greensburg Salem, Southmoreland, Mt. Pleasant, Latrobe and Penn-Trafford.
The organization welcomes athletes ages 4 to 15, splitting them into peewee, youth and junior teams. The junior team won the championship in Florida in February.
The group’s potential was unknown at the start of the season in May, Mayer said, as several new athletes joined with the existing team.
“At first, they lacked chemistry and a team bond,” she said. “Both are very necessary to have success in this sport.”
After a few months of practice, Mayer felt confident her athletes would perform well in the championship.
“They started to click,” she said, “and it felt like being a part of a family.”
The team’s victory came about a week after Norwin and Hempfield Area’s high school cheer squads tied for fourth at the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships, held in late January in Reading.
Despite bringing home Hempfield Area Competitive Cheer’s 8th national championship win, Mayer said the team’s season would have been a success without the trophy.
“Our coaching staff loves to win, but our success isn’t based off of winning championships,” she said. “It’s not about the trophy you earn, but the person you become trying to earn it.
“Making sacrifices for the team and learning critical life lessons is what this is all about.”