Article by Phoenix writer Mika Accardi ’25:
On Wednesday, February 5th, the Varsity Cheerleading Team flew to Orlando, Florida for their annual trip to Nationals. The team spent six months preparing for their most important week of the season. They have performed in traditional and game day style. Their hard work and good sportsmanship was extremely recognizable.
The girls left school after 2nd period and traveled excitedly to the airport. Upon arriving at the hotel, the team headed to practice along with many other high school teams on the UCA football field. Every year, Kellenberg Varsity Cheer looks forward to practicing with the Notre Dame Academy Gators. After that, they traveled to ESPN to have a 10 minute warm-up practice. To conclude a productive day of successfully hitting both their routines, the team was eager to compete.
On Friday, the team prepared themselves to set foot on the Nationals mat at prelims. Their
upbeat and thrilling routines had the crowd going wild. The team showcased excellent Firebird spirit, leaving it all out on the mat.
Senior Julia Mrakovcic sentimentally recalled what it felt like to perform in Orlando for the final time, “Cheering for the last time was such a bittersweet experience. There was an overwhelming sense of excitement and nostalgia. Being on the nationals mat for the last time was surreal, knowing that this was all of my hard work, dedication, and commitment from my four years on Kellenberg cheer.”
Kellenberg is extremely proud of the Varsity Cheerleading team for the drive, dedication, and patience it took to prepare for their trip to Nationals.
