Marple Newtown Cheerleaders Face Two Competitions in Two Days, From West Chester to York
Marple Newtown High School cheerleaders have a busy weekend ahead. On Saturday, Nov. 14, they compete in the 17th Annual West Chester East Winter Blast Cheer Invitational at West Chester East High School. On Sunday, Nov. 15, they travel to York for the UCA York Regional competition.
The Winter Blast is an invitational hosted each November by the West Chester East High School cheerleading program. Now in its 17th year, it draws teams at several levels, from middle school squads to high school junior varsity, varsity and game day teams. Recreation and club teams take part as well.
Sunday’s event is different in kind. The UCA York Regional is a regional qualifier run by the UCA, one of the largest cheerleading organizations in the country. A strong finish there can earn a bid to the national championship. That is why competing teams call it the road to nationals. If Saturday is a chance to test a routine, Sunday is a gateway to the national stage.
Competitive cheerleading looks different from sideline cheering. Squads perform a choreographed routine of about two and a half minutes. Stunts that lift flyers into the air follow tumbling passes, jumps and dance, and judges score difficulty, precision and synchronization. The standings come down to points.
An invitational is not a championship. It is a hosted meet where teams perform a new season routine before judges for the first time, take in scores and feedback, and measure themselves against neighboring schools. It is part of refining a routine ahead of the winter championship season.
Marple Newtown High School sits in Newtown Square, Delaware County. Saturday means a trip to West Chester in Chester County, and Sunday means the York Expo Center. The Sunday schedule is a demanding one, with the team leaving school at 1 p.m. and returning at 7 p.m.
Marple Newtown is regarded as one of the area’s strong cheerleading programs. It competed in the 3A Small Varsity division at the PIAA Competitive Spirit Championships in January. The PIAA governs high school sports in Pennsylvania. A two-competition weekend is how a program of that standing opens a new season.
For West Chester East, the Saturday invitational is the cheerleading program’s biggest fundraiser of the year. The program funds itself. Money from admission, food sales, T-shirt sales and raffles pays for uniforms, travel and competition fees. Hosting the event is part of running the team.
The Saturday competition runs all day and usually finishes in the late afternoon, according to the host program. The Sunday event in York also runs across the day, with divisions performing from the morning into the afternoon.
When the weekend ends, area cheerleading teams turn toward the winter championship season. For Marple Newtown, Saturday and Sunday are the start of it.
