Spy Ponder Cheerleaders to Compete at Pop Warner Nationals

While some call it hard work, Arlington Pop Warner Cheerleading (APW) is calling it a Cinderella story. The organization has announced that its Peewee Cheerleading Team will be competing at the Pop Warner Cheer and Dance Championships in Orlando this December – an opportunity many of the girls, including the coaches, have been dreaming about for quite some time.

Like many other youth sports, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced APW to shut down its entire season last year. Despite this, the team has come back stronger than ever before. Each girl on the team (the athletes range in ages from 9 – 12) has worked tirelessly, many in the program since 2016, to push forward and become the most recent team within the organization to advance to this level of competition. The team is rooted in legacy; Head Coach Caelin Scribner, formerly an APW cheerleader herself, has been involved in the organization since 2008. She, along with her mom, Assistant Coach Carrie Scribner, a long time APW volunteer, Assistant Coach Vanessa Frisoli, another former APW cheerleader, and Student Demonstrator, Colleen Donnelly, yet another former APW cheerleader (who competed on APW’s 2017 Varsity Team that brought home a National Championship First-Place Trophy), have developed the team this season and have enjoyed a third place, a first place, and a second-place win at the previous three competitions to advance to the National Championships. In addition, the team is the Pop Warner Football Conference of Eastern Mass champion in their division after placing first at the conference competition.

“There’s not a day that goes by where the strength, determination, and passion these girls have for cheerleading doesn’t absolutely amaze us. So many of them have been working for several years to get to this point, and while we’ve made it pretty close over the past few years, this achievement marks a monumental milestone for them,” said Coach Caelin. “We still have a long road ahead of us, and we’re now looking for the community’s support to show this team just how proud of them we are as we make our way to nationals.”

The organization is looking to raise funds for nationals throughout the next month to help the coaches who give up their time as volunteers every season. Proceeds from these efforts will help offset the cost of the trip for the coaches and athletes, and any excess funds raised will be given to the program to help defray overhead costs on an ongoing basis.

Each year, the Pop Warner National Cheer & Dance Championships feature the nation’s top youth cheerleading teams as they compete over a three-day event to showcase their best routine. These teams have competed at a league competition and scored high enough to advance to their regional competition. The top two teams in the region then advance to the National Championships in Orlando.

The community can support the team by donating to or sharing their GoFundMe that can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/help-get-the-apw-cheerleaders-to-nationals.

They are also hosting an online raffle with great prizes like two Red Sox tickets, two Celtics tickets, two Bruins tickets, and more! Community members who want to help can purchase the tickets online at https://apw-cheerleading.rallyup.com/help-apw-get-to-nationals or have a link sent directly to them by texting APW to 855-202-2100.

Please help this hardworking team get to Nationals!

About Arlington Pop Warner Cheerleading

APW is a no-cut program where everyone makes a team. No experience is needed; teams blend athletes from all walks of life who learn to work together. For information about our program, visit www.apwponders.com. Arlington Pop Warner Cheerleading is a 501(c)(3) registered organization. All donations are tax-deductible.