Schools
Portsmouth Pop Warner Cheerleaders to Compete at Nationals
The Portsmouth Pop Warner Cheerleader team recently won the regional championship and are now heading to Florida to compete in the national competition.
The Portsmouth Pop Warner Jr. Midget Cheerleaders have earned the right to compete in the Pop Warner Cheer and Dance National Championships to be held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, from Dec. 6 to 10.
The squad of 19 girls and their Coach Regina Dublin found out the news on Nov. 20.
The girls, who are students in grades 6, 7, and 8, first competed in the Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts' Association (RISMA) Pop Warner Cheer Competition and won the title "first place grand champs." RISMA is considered the local competition.
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The next completion was held in Springfield, MA, and was considered a "qualifiers" completion. However, the squad didn't place but were invited to the New England Pop Warner Regionals.
At the regionals in Worcester, MA, the girls won first place and an opportunity to prove their prowess on the mats on the national stage.
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Officially, known as the Junior Midget Small Intermediate Class, the squad performs back hand springs, back tucks and "fly girl" routines. The "fly girl" routines involve girls being thrown 10 feet or more into the air.
The last time a Portsmouth Pop Warner Cheer Team went to the nationals was the 2006 Midgets. They placed fourth in the national contest.
According to team mom Kris Aleicho, "These girls work well under pressure and they pull it together when it counts."
The squad is well staffed by dedicated people. Besides team mom Aleicho and Coach Dublin, it also includes two high school demonstrators or helpers, Molly Chappell and Rachel Kelley. There is also a team dad, Pat Francis.
Coach Regina Dublin said it was a "nice mix" of veteran and novice girls this year. Coach Dublin is a nurse supervisor at Newport Hospital. She also coaches the Junior Varsity Cheer Team. Her daughter, Janelle, 12, is a member of the Junior Midget squad.
When one of the girls, Veronica Kelly, came over to Coach Dublin to say her arm was hurt, Coach Dublin said, "I need to know when to call 9-1-1 and when to rub some sparkle on it."
Coach Dublin said she tells her squad, "Always be careful, then you never have to be sorry."
She said those are words of advice for the girls that can be used in "how they treat each other or how they live their lives."
