Whiz Kids: Saucon Valley Middle School Competition Cheerleaders

“Rah, rah, sis boom bah!”

As it turns out, cheerleaders are not just a group of lively girls with pompoms who root for their school’s sports teams. They are skilled gymnasts with a zest for life and a love of their sport.

At , there are two options for cheerleaders. They can participate on the regular cheering team, which supports the school's basketball, football and wrestling teams--or they can go the extra mile to compete against other cheerleaders in local and national competitions by joining the cheering club, also referred to as the “competition team.”

The 17 members of Saucon Valley's competition team, who range in age from 13 to 15, are also on the regular cheering team. This dual commitment requires them to cheer throughout the fall and winter seasons.

Caitlin Zeuggin, a SVMS math teacher and the competition team’s head coach, said this is her first year leading the team. Last year, she coached the cheer team for football and wrestling, but decided to take a step up to coach the competition team.

Zeuggin said the girls try out to be a part of the competition team.

“I choose the girls that will be on competition based on what I need for the team,” she explained.

She added that there is a competition cheerleading team at , but they only do a few competitions per year, whereas the middle school competition cheering team will have completed 12 this year.

The high school team has placed well in its competitions, and Zeuggin's eighth graders are looking forward to moving up and competing at the high school level, she said.

Zeuggin said she knew "her" girls had the ability to go the distance this year, and that’s exactly what happened recently, when the team captured first place in the Junior High Advanced Division of the “Reach the Beach” National Championship in Ocean City, Md.

In addition to earning the coveted four-foot-tall “Reach the Beach” trophy, each girl also received a special jacket.

According to Zeuggin, many local middle schools do not have competition cheerleading teams, which is one reason the Saucon Valley team often travels a considerable distance in order to compete.

“A lot of times we go to competitions farther away,” Zeuggin said. "The closest one was at Liberty High School."

Because of the lack of competitors, they often have to compete against the high school teams. “And we still win first place,” Zeuggin said.

For the “Reach the Beach” competition, the team stayed overnight in Ocean City because it was a Saturday evening event.

On April 9, the team will compete in another national competition, the U.S. Finals in Virginia Beach, which is also an overnight event. Zeuggin said that will be the last of the year's competitions involving extensive travel.

In order to participate in these competitions, the girls fundraise individually by selling hoagies, mums and pizzas.

“They have done a pancake fundraiser at Applebee’s, where the girls were the servers,” Zeuggin added.

It costs $45 to register for the competition in Virginia, for example. If they don’t fundraise the money, they have to pay for it out of pocket.

Parents of the participants must drive and get hotel rooms on their own, if an event will require an overnight stay. However, Zeuggin clarified, “Most competitions are only one day and are within an hour drive.” 

Carlene Anderson is the team's assistant coach and has coached many of the girls since they were four or five years old, which is the age at which most of them began cheering.

Anderson is also a gymnastics instructor, which has been a great benefit to the girls who have worked with her over the past 10 years. 

“Growing up they got all the gymnastics that they needed. A lot of them take private gymnastics lessons on their own. It’s our strongpoint,” Anderson noted.

Zeuggin also commented on the team’s gymnastics abilities, calling them "way more impressive than any other middle school team I’ve ever seen."

"As I see how we compare to other junior high teams, I keep raising the bar and that’s why I decided to go to all these competitions," she said. "They have a lot to show for themselves, with how much talent they have for being so young."

At the conclusion of the "Reach the Beach" competition, it was really up in the air who would be winning first, but, Zeuggin said, "It was the best feeling when they called our name for our national champion trophy."

If the girls win first place in Virginia Beach April 9, they will be judged via a video competition in which judges will review all eight U.S. National first place winners' performances to determine the ultimate U.S. Finals national winner.

“I believe that the success of this team has by far surpassed anything that has happened in the past,” Zeuggin proudly said.

Editor's Note: This article has been updated.