Longmeadow Knights qualify for national cheer competition |
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The Longmeadow Knights have qualified to compete in the National High School Cheerleading Competition in Orlando, Fla., next month. Reminder Publications submitted photo
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January 16, 2012
LONGMEADOW — It’s usually this time of year when one notices a miracle somewhere, and it’s been one miracle after another for the Longmeadow Knights, this small town’s Cheerleader Competition Team.
Placing second, and only half a point away from first, in a qualifying competition in Boston recently, the Longmeadow Knights qualified for nationals and received a bid to attend the National High School Cheerleading Competition (NHSCC) at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 11 and 12. The NHSCC is considered the most prestigious cheerleading championship in the country. This ESPN-hosted event is nationally televised on ESPN and ESPN2 to more than 100 million homes and 32 countries nationwide each year.
It was truly a miracle that brought them to this moment. Before their qualifying performance in Boston, the cheerleaders awoke with a message from their coach, Jessica Prokop, that one of their flyers had a badly hurt ankle, leaving the team uncertain as to the day ahead.
With the high morale and spirit the team has consistently shown, the team traveled to Boston with the hope they might perform all the while anxious for their teammate, who was blessed to have a parent in tow with sports therapy skills. They wouldn’t know until moments before the performance that they were giving before the panel of judges, but perform they did.
Maybe it was for their wounded flyer that they performed so well, or maybe they just realized how incredible they’ve become as a team. After they finished their choreography, not one cheerleader was looking at the board to see where they placed, only at each other with relieved faces and hearts that they completed their performance. Their devotion to each other was sincere and not a dry eye from the team’s fans was found. The fact that the Knights placed second and so close to first place afterward only added to the miracle they believe will continue as they head to Orlando.
With only one month left to plan, the expenses for this Longmeadow team of 22 girls, in grades four to eight, are costly. The girls are trying to raise donations to help offset the expenditures of this once-in-a-life time experience. They are asking for support from local businesses and individuals who wish to be a part of the event by sponsoring the team in Orlando. Sponsors will receive recognition.
To make a donation, contact Prokop at 214-8113.
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