Pop Warner cheerleading teams go national
Perfect scores at regionals vaulted teams to national stage
BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer

Top: Jennifer Hochrun and the St. Cecelia's Golden Knights Pop Warner Pee Wee Nuggets cheerleading team have their last practice at The Club at Woodbridge before they compete at the National Pop Warner Dance and Cheer Competition at the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla., this week. Above: Shayne Hoffman and the team have their last practice before the competition. At left: Emily DeAlmeida is at the top of the pyramid.

WOODBRIDGE - The navy blue, white and gold St. Cecelia's Golden Knights Pop Warner Cheerleading team has something to really cheer about this year.

For the first time in 42 years, all three teams of the St. Cecelia's Golden Knights - Midget Knights, Pee Wee Nuggets and Junior Pee Wee Dusters - have made it to the National Pop Warner Dance and Cheer Competition held this week at the Walt Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla.

"We work hard every year," said Margaret Truppa, who has been the director for the team since 1998. "The season starts Aug. 1 and the competitions are so close every year. The slightest bobble or missed touch down can have deduction of points. Last year, we were only down by 0.4 and got third place at the Regional Competition held at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton. Only first and second place at the regional competition can make it to nationals. Those points count."

PHOTOSBYMIGUEL JUAREZ staff

All three teams of 27 girls each had perfect routines.

The teams, that are considered in the large division because they have more than 20 girls on each team, won first place in the Raritan Valley Conference Championships, the South & West Qualifier Championships and the Eastern Regional Championships.

"We hit all our stunts," said Truppa. "We had clean tumbling routines. We just hit them all, and most importantly we had our smiles on."

The Midget Large Advance Knight team ranges from eighth-graders to sophomores in high school. The Pee Wee Large Advance Nugget team ranges from fifth- to seventh-graders; and the Junior Pee Wee Large Intermediate Duster team ranges from third- to sixth-graders.

Truppa, who started cheering for the team in 1978, then eventually started coaching in 1987 and now is the director, said the whole cheer team is like one big family.

"Most of these girls stay on after they finish cheering [cut-off age is 16 years old] to coach," said Truppa, whose husband, Lou, is the president of the St. Cecelia's Pop Warner organization and went through the St. Cecelia's Pop Warner football program.

"Some girls even stay with Pop Warner until they are 16, rather than cheer for their high school team," she said.

This year is bittersweet for 16-year-old Samantha Massey and 15-year-old Christie DiAiuto.

There have been a lot of fun times," said Massey, who is a sophomore at John F. Kennedy High School. "I love how close the teams are to the coaches. They inspire us. I will definitely think of continuing cheering."

DiAiuto worked her way up from a Junior Pee Wee to a Midget.

"I love cheering," said DiAiuto, who is also a sophomore at John F. Kennedy High School. "I have made really good friendships. We are around each other 24/7 and we are really close. I'm excited that we have a really good chance at nationals this year, since we made first place for the first time at the regional competition."

The Golden Knights are not all about cheering.

"We do a lot of community service," said Truppa. "We do the food and clothing drives. We did the breast cancer walk. Also, we have done outside bonding events such as bowling night. This is a chance for the girls to bond as friends and as sisters."

Amy Barcellona, who has been coaching the Midget Knights for nine years, said from Aug. 1 on they have four goals.

"We are on our final goal," said Barcellona, who has been cheering since she was in kindergarten. "It's definitely a sense of accomplishment."