Sports

Mepham cheer squad takes state title –– again

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For the second straight year, the Mepham High School varsity co-ed cheerleading squad has captured the New York State Cheer Championship.

The team competed for the title at Sullivan Community College in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y., on Feb. 22. Eleven top-ranked cheerleading squads from across the state took part in the invitational meet. Mepham team captains included Julie Dijkstra, Brianna Frobosilo and Kelly Cates.

“We’re very excited,” said Mepham Principal Michael Harrington. “The cheer team has worked very hard through the season. We’re proud of all their achievements, not only on the mat; they represent the best students we have at the school.”

Nicole Kyriacou, who coaches the Mepham squad with her sister, Jayna Von Gerichten, said they knew the competition would be tough heading into the championship. The field, she said, widened from eight squads in 2013 to 11 this year. But, Kyriacou said, the Mepham squad was “motivated to win.”

“They did a good job of working together and hitting their stunts,” she said.
In addition to their regular team practices, Kyriacou said, a number of the girls take private tumbling lessons at a Wantagh gymnastics school. In June, she said, the 30-member squad will graduate 13 seniors, so 2014-15 will be something of a rebuilding year for the team.

Already, Kyriacou said, the squad is eyeing next season. In the coming weeks, the team, which is among the few squads in the Northeast to include boys, will begin light tumbling in the Mepham gym to judge new team members’ interest and skill levels and start preparations for next year’s campaign. The objective, Kyriacou said, is to increase the difficulty level of the squad’s stunts.