Newtown's National Champs Cheer Squad Honored by State Lawmakers

NEWTOWN, CT — State leaders on Jan. 30 gathered at the Newtown Community Center to congratulate the Newtown Youth Cheerleading Team’s D12 cheer squad on winning the 2022 National Championship at the Nationals Cheer Competition in Florida.

"For the girls, winning this championship is something they will remember for the rest of their lives," said Coach Lea Guglielmo in a news release. "This competition meant more than just winning a trophy. It showed the girls that hard work pays off and working together pays off. It just means so much to our team and coaching staff to be recognized by our state lawmakers and our community."

Sen. Tony Hwang, Rep. Mitch Bolinsky, and Rep. Marty Foncello presented the team with official citations from the State of Connecticut and made congratulatory remarks.

"I was so impressed and inspired by this group’s ‘all for one, one for all’ mindset," said Hwang. "We were going to take the team photo, but one very special member of the team was running late. The team happily said, ‘We want to wait until our teammate arrives before taking the photo.’ When their teammate arrived, she was so thrilled that her teammates waited for her. To witness that magical moment of unity and unselfishness was something which made me smile. It’s something we can all learn from in our daily lives, and it shows why this team has been so successful."