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Image provided by: Long Island Library Resources Council
p 1 IT VARSITY CHEERLEADERS in action JUNIOR VARSITY CHEERLEADERS show off for their guests SARA MAHON sang the national anthem photos by Linda Hendrickson Freeport hosts Long Island Cheerleadini coaches association competition By Linda Hendrickson Intricate stunts, high energy, unbeliev- able agility and electrifying ethusiasm abounded as 750 cheerleaders competed in JV, Small Varsity and Large Varsity LICCA competition held at Freeport High; School last Saturday. Team competition began at 10:45 and finished at 8:30. After a moment of silence, Freeport cheerleader Sara Mahon sang the National Anthem. That one minute of silence was to be the only minute of silence all day. As each team presented their routine, the energy level rose. Freeport's JV cheerleaders were first on the mat and gave a flawless perform- ance. The girls hit every lift and stunt to set the tone for the whole day. As host school, Freeport's teams could not com- pete, but both teams gave an exhibition performance before a packed house. There are, six competitions held on Long Island before the finals. Teams must compete in two competitions and place in one in order to qualify for the finals in February. Freeport has already qualified for the finals and nationals. \The LICCA competition held here this weekend is the largest I've ever been to,\ reflected Head Coach Laurie Kolodny. The varsity finals will be held at St. Joseph's College and the JV will have their final competition at Riverhead High School. Riverhead won the JV competition with a near perfect performance but perhaps the most interesting performance was given by the Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf. Mill Neck's coach signed the words and gave cues to her girls from the sideline as they executed their routine. They also signed the National Anthem from the bleachers as Mahon sang. Holy Trinity won the Small Varsity and Riverhead won the Large Varsity. Competition. Nicole Huber, a Freeport alumni, was one of the judges this year. She is current- ly a student and cheerleader at Albright College. Any undertaking as big as hosting a LICCA competition requires the help and hard work from a myriad of people. Freeport's cheerleaders were visable doing a variety of jobs, from spotting stunts for all schools to directing competi- tors to the practice gym, helping parents to vacant seats, or laying and taping mats. Parents wearing T-shirts reading \I'm the proud parent of a Freeport cheerleader\ were busy selling food, raffles, and regis- tering teams. \Thank you to all the participating schools and coaches, our parents, family members, community members and friends. A very special thank you to the Booster Club, George Zito, security guards, custodial staff-, AV Department, cafeteria staff, our administration, judges, and most of all Lynn O'Brien, Robert Zifchock, Ernest Kight, Grace Chimeri, and Denise Barry,\ commented Kolodny. \Without these people, we wouldn't be where we are today!\ To raise money for national competition at Disney World in Florida, the cheerlead- ers will sponsor a dinner and Chinese auc- tion, which will be held in the school cafe- teria on Wednesday, January 30 from 7-11 p.m. Tickets are available from all Freeport cheerleaders and coaches. Everyone is invited to enjoy a great dinner and purchase some prizes at the Chinese Auction.
