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Foothill cheerleaders completed a clean sweep at the United Spirit Association (USA) Spirit Nationals in Anaheim two weekends ago, with the varsity, stunt and junior varsity teams each winning a national championship.
It marked the third time in the past five years that all three Falcons’ squads brought home national crowns.
“Winning all three titles is a huge accomplishment,” said Kim DeJoy, who coaches Foothill’s varsity and stunt teams. “Not many schools have done this. The feeling for all of the coaches and athletes was overwhelming and sheer joy.”
The championships provided the perfect culmination of 10 months of hard work for the teams, according to DeJoy, who is in her 16th year at Foothill.
“They supported one another on and off the mat,” she added. “I knew from the beginning that this was a group of incredibly special young women that I, along with the other coaches, were privileged to coach. I knew that they could hit a perfect routine. It would just be up to the judges and how they scored us.”
Foothill varsity topped 23 other teams in the medium varsity show cheer novice category March 18-20 at the Anaheim Convention Center — its first time competing in the division after years in small show cheer intermediate.
The stunt team won against 41 other top teams, and the junior varsity bested 13 other groups.
“They were just amazing. I can’t gush enough about them,” DeJoy said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these teams. They represented themselves, Foothill and Pleasanton with great pride.”
Crosstown Amador Valley varsity cheerleaders also earned a high finish at the USA Spirit Nationals, placing third out of 22 schools in the small show cheer intermediate category.
The Dons used a strong performance in the final round to jump from fifth place at the end of Day 1 up to third overall.
The Amador Valley stunt team took second place behind Foothill in its division.
The Foothill varsity team consisted of Annie Fenton, Claire Larsen, Julia Tolari, Emma Loll, Mackenzie Curran, Rachel Sanchez, Kimberly Wang, Tori Maes, Valeria Blanco, Emily LaDue, Jessica Cole, Sara Ling, Lizzie Beer, Kelly Jefferies, Sophia Ondi and Sophia Barletta.
Foothill’s stunt team included Curran, Jefferies, Barletta, Ling and Ondi. The Falcons’ JV team, coached by Nancy Jefferies and Megan Mozzetti, featured cheerleaders Kailey Conrad, Gali Hoffman, Lydia Chamberland, Jolie Rodriguez, Chloe Chai, Julia Castanada, Anna Sullivan, Swathi Saseedhar, Hannah Thoe and Amanda Zagar.
The Amador Valley varsity cheerleaders were Katherine Jackson, Ashley Boxberger, Kaitlyn McGarrity, Melia Storey, Mckenna Shaffer, Mary Hinek, Emily Mercer, Linzee Alcaide, Kaitlyn Letourneau, Jessica Hallgrimson, Kayla Fulmer, Maci Manos, Lauren Shohfi and Krista Lewis.
The Amador Valley stunt team included McGarrity, Storey, Hinek, Mercer and Boxberger.
I remember the first time Foothill cheer went to Nationals in the 90’s. The dedication and athleticism required is just amazing.
Congratulations to all those that have cheered at Foothill and a special WELL DONE to these champions.