Oxford Cheerleaders Head to National Championship

The cheerleading team has proved in the past two years that it's among the best in Connecticut by capturing consecutive Class S state championships.

Now, the is out to show the country its skills.

The team's 27 girls headed to Disney World in Orlando, Fla., Thursday for the national high school cheerleading championship. About 300 teams from all over the country, including four from Connecticut, will compete over the weekend for the right to say they are America's best.

"After three successful years, we thought maybe it's time to try to elevate our success and start a new tradition," said coach Maria Kashuba. "We're going down with no aspirations other than to have a great experience and see how we do at the national level."

The team will be one of 16 competing in the super large varsity division 2 category, which is for smaller schools with teams of more than 20. The Wolverines will compete on Saturday and again on Sunday if they finish in the top half on day one.

The team earned the right to compete at nationals by finishing fourth at a competition at Hofstra University on Dec. 4.

"It felt like first to us," said senior co-captain Haley Dauerty.

Then came the hard part: raising $800 apiece to attend the competition.

The girls did so by holding fundraisers at various places in Oxford, and, true to form, residents here stepped up with generous donations to help offset the cost.

Senior co-captain Kaylee Yocher said the team worked hard to make the trip. "It's just kind of a big relief to make it down there," she said. "...It's s0 exciting." 

While the trip will be the experience of a lifetime for the girls, perhaps nobody is more excited than their coach, who said her team earned the right to go to Florida.

"I told the girls that what I know for certain is when they took the stage, I was going to be covered in goose bumps and teary eyed," she said. "It really is just an amazing experience."

Updates from the championship and video of team performances are supposed to be shown here.

The 2010-11 Oxford High School cheerleading team roster:

Head Coach: Marie Kashuba; Assistant Coach Heather Cinicola

Seniors: Carinne Corte-Real, Johnna D'Ambuoso, Victoria Nichio, Stephanie Romanowski, and co-captains Haley Dauerty and Kaylee Yocher

Juniors: Morgar Hare, Meghan Isberg and Casey Moran

Sophomores: Amanda Donofrio, Jessica Fedak, Alyssa Ferreone, Alexis Jelenik, Jessica Lewis, Amber Murray, Marissa Peters, Kaitlyn Twombly, Jonna Welsh and Ellen Yacovelli

Freshmen: Jamie Blake, Jessica Giannetta, Colleen Isberg, Brooke Kuzma, Natalie Peterson, Kassidy Rosa, Vanessa Rosa and Casey Shevlin