Allentown girls finish third in the nation
BY PATTI COCORLES
Correspondent

It’s official, Allentown, New Jersey, is now on the map.For many people from around the country there was the belief that there was one Allentown, and it wasn't in New Jersey. But thanks to the perseverance of 19 tenacious and talented girls who put their hearts and souls into cheerleading, Allentown, N.J., is now known as the home of the Pop Warner Pee Wee Intermediate Division Third-Place winners at nationals.

The national competition, for this group of girls, meant that for the first time in the Pop Warner history of Allentown, a team had advanced to the National level.

The dream had finally been realized through various qualifying, state and regional competitions. All of the events this year were held at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, in October and November. Allentown Pee Wee placed first in the Central Jersey competition, second in the Regional qualifier, and first in the Eastern Regional championship. In this event, only the top two teams are awarded the trip to Disney. They successfully placed on top and won the bid to the nationals.

They blew the competition away with a tightly spirited routine that captured first place. Allentown was the top team for the Eastern Region, which included teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. There was no stopping them at this point. And then, it finally happened, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, they became the bronze medal winners.

The team is made up of 19 girls, some of whom have over five years of Pop Warner experience, while six others were brand-new to cheer, and a dedicated and experienced coaching staff who helped to guide, nurture and develop the girls into winners. In an even greater tribute, for the approximately 67 teams in the Pee Wee division that competed that day, Allentown was one of four teams nominated for the Spirit and Good Sportsmanship Award. The girls came away with a huge trophy for the third-place win, a ribbon for the Spirit award nomination and individual bronze medals.

As anyone who has been involved with Pop Warner cheer can tell you, the road to Disney is not an easy one. Hours of practice is required to help piece together the athletic skills and choreography necessary to create a solid routine. Every aspect of the competition is reviewed and judged. Uniforms must be correct, timing is critical, tumbling and lifts must be in sync. And then there's the hair curling (well, let's leave that for another story.)

Competing against teams from all over the United States is quite a challenge, but these girls were unfazed and ready to show their stuff. New Jersey was well represented in all Pop Warner levels of competition that week. Many parents, as well as other cheerleaders, from other teams had nothing but praise for the efforts and athletic abilities of the Allentown girls.

And now, they can rest knowing that they put the best of themselves in the spotlight. That is, until next August when it all begins again and the next quest for the national spotlight.