Madison Youth Cheerleaders Division 13 Take 3rd In National Competition [Video]

By Eli Sherer

Two teams from Madison headed to Florida recently for the American Youth Cheer national competition at the Silver Spurs arena in Orlando.

The Division 10 team was there on a Wild Card invitation, based on their performance at the regional competition on Thanksgiving weekend in Worcester. The Division 13 team had placed 2nd in the regional competition, so both teams were in Florida to represent Madison.

In addition to the Division 10 and Division 13 teams, some of the cheerleaders from the Division 12 team came along to watch their compatriots compete, to offer their support, and to help them “yell our colors out. Yell, Black and Gold!” Though these girls were not competing, they proudly wore their uniforms to the arena on Saturday. No sour grapes here, nothing but Tiger Pride.

By Thursday evening, all of the girls had arrived in Orlando and had attended registration at the Disney Dolphin resort. Later that evening, American Youth Football and Cheer took over Universal Studios for a special evening of fun.

On Friday, the Madison teams took to the grass by the golf course at the Omni Orlando Resort and ran through their routines a few more times. Coach Licia Ciotti wanted to make sure that everyone was ready, and to make any final adjustments before the competition, after which the girls were free for a few hours to jump in the pool and water slide. Friday evening, the girls were back at the Dolphin for a dance party for all the competing teams.

Saturday morning, the Division 10 team headed for the Silver Spurs arena. They were due to perform just before 11:00am and the AYC competition ran like clockwork. When the morning session was over and winners were announced, the Division 10 team did not place in the top three. Though disappointed, there were no tears. They had accomplished a great deal in a few short months, and on reviewing the scores, Coach Ciotti noted that they came in 6th out of 11 teams. Eleven teams who had competed before, and had much more time to practice. The deficit was in “difficulty,” something Coach Ciotti said could be easily fixed.

The Division 13 team had arrived, and as the afternoon session began, many of the Division 10 girls stayed on. The support between these teams is palpable, each supporting the other, wishing them all to do well.

This was called the Afternoon session, but the Division 13 girls did not compete until after 6 o’clock. From there, it was another two hours before the awards were announced. As they finished their routine, they felt their performance was lacking. Coach Ciotti thought they had done well, but would it be well enough? Eleven other experienced teams were doing very complex maneuvers, and seeming to hit them very well. 

When awards were to be presented, the announcer stated, “We’ll go down to Division 13… who scored 147.8 points….” At this point, Coach Ciotti tuned out. She is well aware of the scoring process, and felt that although her team did well, that number was a bit out of reach for them this year. “Twelve teams competed in this division…our third place position for 2011, The Madison Tigers!” Before Coach Ciotti could even realize what was said, the Madison team exploded in screams, and there was still another trophy coming her way.

In the end, three teams competed from Madison, two first place, and one second at the state level; one went on to second place and one was selected as a Wild Card at the regional level. The skills and surprise of the state and regional competitions behind them, no one was sure what to expect at nationals. But once again, the teams competed well, did their best, and had fun. And in the end, the trophies keep getting bigger!

American Youth Cheer take note: Madison Connecticut is more than just a pushpin on the map! 

Side note: The cost of sending the Madison teams to the national competition has been a financial burden to all involved families. Donations are still being accepted to help defray the costs to each cheerleader’s family. To support Madison Youth Cheer, go to: http://www.gofundme.com/SupportMadisonCheer?r=74438 to donate any amount, or contact Coach Licia Ciotti at m.ciotti@sbcglobal.net. Company and Corporate sponsors and donations are more than welcome as well.