Thursday, December 20, 2018

BOWS BEYOND THE NATION


By GIANNA DUGAN

Kaitlyn (right) is all smiles before competition.
Kaitlyn Heins, a sophomore at Washingtonville High School, takes her cheerleading skills to an entirely different level at Star Athletics Cheer and Tumbling in Boonton, New Jersey. For the 2019 season of all-star competitive cheerleading, Kaitlyn will be traveling around the country competing to win titles with her team. 


Most known for achieving a spot on the WHS varsity cheerleading team in her freshman year of high school,  which is not an easy accomplishment, Kaitlyn has had a passion for the sport since the second grade. Upon joining the Washingtonville Youth Football and Cheerleading Organization, Kaitlyn quickly moved on to competitive cheer in 2011, and ended up at Start Athletics in May of 2015, the organization she actively competes with now. 

This 2019 competition season will be her first on Star Athletics’ Senior Gold Team, the gym's medium senior level 3 team. Each team is decided in a tryout process in which the coaches act as judges and place each cheerleader on the team that best matches their skill level. The cheerleaders are judged on jumps, stunts, tumbling, and dance.

Heins loves almost everything about the sport. Heins explained, “[Her] favorite part of all star cheerleading is traveling all over the country. During high school cheerleading [there is not] as much of an opportunity to travel places outside New York, or even Orange County.” Competing has taken her to places as far as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Atlanta, Georgia, Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California.

Students practice tirelessly in order to pull off stunts like the one seen above.//PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANCINE GALYAS
Practicing 2-3 days a week for three hours each practice, Kaitlyn and her team have been working energetically, anticipating their first competition of the season.  This will take place on January 12th-13th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Knowing Kaitlyn for approximately four years now, Star Athletics’ Coach Lauren Okaly lovingly expressed, “Kaitlyn has developed into a mature and determined athlete. She is an amazing leader and can often be found inspiring or helping her teammates.”

Star Athletics’ “Senior Gold” team is walking onto the mat this season with hopes of winning a bid to Summit, a national championship held in Orlando, Florida each year. Having achieved the title of Summit Champions last season, Kaitlyn and her teammates believe they have a good chance at winning once again this year. The team refuses to stop striving for greatness and will continue to work for this honorary award. 

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