Sports
Highlanders' Cheerleaders Continue Strong Year
The Highlanders' cheerleading squad is in the midst of a 2011-12 season that saw them bring home plenty of hardware in the Union County Showcase.
The Highlanders cheerleading squad, led by fall coach Staci Toporek and winter coach Jennifer Lambusta (who heads the JV team in the fall), has had an eventful year thus far. Katherine Chinnici, Alecia Collins and Marina Russo have served as captains for the fall season and will continue to do so in the winter season. Kelly Keegan, Megan Romanko, Erin Trella and Blair Wagner captained the JV team.
The team features many competitive cheerleaders, as 16 of the 20 team members will also compete on some type of competition squad this year.
Chinnici and Collins were chosen to attend the Snapple Bowl this past summer, which picks its team from the best cheerleaders in Union County. The Snapple Bowl, a football all-star game, donates all of its profits to the Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside.
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The team used the October 6th home football game against Cranford as a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen for The Cure foundation, which is dedicated to breast cancer research and treatment. The team, along with Cranford’s cheer squad, sold t-shirts using the slogan “Blitz Breast Cancer.”
On Nov. 10th the team competed in the 2nd annual Union County Showcase, which was hosted by Cranford High School. The Showcase was created as a way for the cheerleaders in the county to measure themselves against teams and individuals from other schools. Participating schools included Dayton, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Elizabeth and Brearley. The cheerleaders compete against one another in various dance, stunting, tumbling and cheer categories.
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The Highlanders took home trophies in two tumbling categories: best individual tumbling pass (Danielle Gonnelli ‘15) and the most back handsprings (Shannon Mondelli ’15). They also took home some hardware in two stunting categories: best basket toss and longest held full stunt. The event raised $1300 for the Children’s Specialized Hospital.
With the fall now behind them, the Highlanders’ cheerleading squad is primed and ready for a great winter season.
