Cheer team wins second place in national contest
BY JAY BODAS
Staff Writer

WOODBRIDGE -- Baseball season has just begun, but the season can't really get started without a look back to a local football cheerleading team.

The St. Cecelia's Golden Knights Junior Pee Wee cheer team was named second-best team in the nation at the Pop Warner National Cheer Competition held at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Fla, last December.

After 42 years of Pop Warner cheering, the last two have been particularly remarkable for the organization.

"Last year was our first year where our Pee Wee team won first place as national champs," said organization cheer coordinator Margaret Truppa. "This year we were lucky to have a second team go to nationals and get second place. We competed against 17 other teams across the nation in their level at a competition in Disney World and received second place by less than one point."

The team is made up of 18 girls ages 8 through 10. Most are new at the competitive level, she said.

The Junior Pee Wee team was honored at a Township Council meeting earlier this year.

"One of the wonderful things is when you play together, it builds character, respect, responsibility and a wonderful work ethic," said council President Patricia Osborne. "It is certainly wonderful to bring honor to Iselin and Woodbridge Township."

Cheering has been only the beginning for the girls, however.

"Last year we did a cancer walk and many food drives for the parish, so we do try to give back to the community," Truppa said. "This year we sold Mardi Gras beads at our football games and raised over a thousand dollars for Hurricane Katrina victims."

Most of the coaches do not have kids in the program, but love cheering and working with the kids, Truppa said.

"They are mostly all volunteers in the program, and we want to get the high school kids to get back into it as coaches," said husband Lou Truppa, who is the organization's president. "A lot of kids like to come back to us to help us out and coach to keep it all in the family."

Earlier this month, two of the organization's cheerleading teams took first place in their respective divisions at a regional tournament at King's Dominion in Virginia.

For more information about the St. Cecelia's Golden Knights cheerleaders, please go to www.scgk.org.