On Feb. 1, Emmaus High School cheerleaders held its “Kickoff to Nationals Party” at Yergey Brewing on Main Street, Emmaus. From noon until 3 p.m. guests were able to enjoy food and drinks, check out the basket raffle and purchase tickets for the 50/50 drawing. The cheerleaders were raising money for their upcoming trip to the National Cheerleading Championship at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.

The UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship began over 40 years ago and is considered the end of the season for cheerleaders. According to Varsity Spirit, this specific event is recognized as the “most prestigious high school national championship in the country.” It is an opportunity for the cheerleading teams to come together and celebrate one another. Hundreds of teams from across the country are expected to compete.

This will be the first trip to Orlando for the Hornet cheerleaders. They secured a spot by winning regionals. Other Lehigh Valley cheer squads (Parkland, Easton, Freedom, Southern Lehigh and Nazareth) are also Orlando-bound for this event. Emmaus’ team is registered to compete in the small varsity all girls division. Mikayla Hausman said her team is “prepared to do their best” and she hopes they can move on in the competition. Emmaus takes the stage for preliminary competition Feb. 7. If they can earn a top score, the team will then compete Feb. 8 and 9. However, if they do not meet the necessary scores, their competition ends and the rest of the weekend will be spent enjoying the Disney parks. Korynne Valera said participating in this event “is a great opportunity for us” and Mairi Berrio added she is “very excited” to be a part of this event.

The EHS cheerleading program would like to thank all of the individuals, businesses and sponsors for helping them to be able to compete on the national stage this year. They held bingos, cheer clinics and established a GoFundMe page to help defray the traveling costs and fees for the competition. They appreciated all those who contributed to the donations for the raffle baskets and those who purchased tickets to the events or made monetary donations to support their program. Coaches Cayleigh Butz, Katelyn Feinberg and Lori Schaeffer also wanted to thank the cheer moms and dads for their support in establishing the fundraising events throughout the year.