Farmingdale shows its resilience in winning Nassau Class A cheerleading championship

Every week, the Farmingdale cheerleading team picks a quote to motivate them. As the Nassau cheerleading championships approached, they chose: “You’ll never make history living in your comfort zone.”

With that in the back of their minds, the Dalers secured the Class A championship on Saturday night at Farmingdale State College with an 85.6, earning back-to-back titles, and the third in the program’s six years of existence. East Meadow earned the runner-up spot with an 81.55.

“The biggest thing for us has been our mental game,” coach Caitlin Beatrice said. “Developing that mental toughness has helped them through the physical aspect and has been the most important part of our success this season.”

At ESPN’s National High School Cheerleading Championship at Walt Disney World last week, the Dalers didn’t have the performance they had hoped for.

“We had a tough defeat at nationals,” Beatrice said. “We came in with really high hopes for the girls, but a deduction held us from getting through the first round.”

But instead of letting the defeat get to their heads, the Dalers channeled that resilience they’ve been working on all season to come back even stronger.

“We really have been pushing ourselves to work harder,” senior Breanna Miller said. “We’ve learned that when bad things happen, it’s just an excuse for us to grow stronger.”

With a team made up of mostly sophomores, one seventh-grader, two eighth-graders, and just three seniors, the Dalers have had to practice even harder to get their experience up to par with the rest of the competition

“We have a very young team,” Beatrice said.

Despite their age, they have proved their talent time and time again throughout the season. “In the last five or six weeks, they’ve hit their routine and scored the top score in the county and the top score in program history,” Beatrice said. “I couldn’t be prouder of everything they’ve been able to accomplish.”

The Dalers now look ahead to the state championship, where they will represent Nassau on March 2 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton.

“It’s redemption time,” senior Bailey Gayron said. Last season, the Dalers placed third at states, but their eyes are on first this time around. “Staying loud, sharp, and posed will get us where we want to be.”

Division earns first title

Division will be representing Nassau in Class B after earning a score of 90.3.

Senior captains Eva Guerra and Nikole Galgano led the way for determined Division, which won the Class B title for the first time in program history.

Guerra was a main backspot for every super elite skill in the routine, and Galgano executed her tumbling pass to perfection and is an asset as a bracer in all pyramid skills.

Coach Cristen Marcy said: “We have really tough competition in this division and we knew that every single point was going to count today .  .  . We’ve had such a positive mindset coming out of every practice after hitting every routine.”

Seaford wins ‘C’ crown

Seaford took home the Class C crown with a 96.1, adding to the many accomplishments of the season. “It’s a great feeling when they can come here and do their job and showcase their talent,” coach Lisa Ferrari said.

At Nationals, Seaford placed second, just .9 points away from the winning team, Greendale, and in the fall, they won the game day cheer championship.

“They’re at their peak, they’re in their moment right now,” Ferrari said. “ We’re looking to keep that momentum going into the state championship.”

Freeport takes coed title

Freeport also will be heading to Binghamton after earning first in coed with an 87.45.

“In our warm-up before getting on the mat, we really brought up our energy,” senior Angela Galvan said. “We knew that if we wanted to win today, it all had to start there.”

Galvan is heading to the state championship for the third time, and she couldn’t be more excited.

“I don’t even have words to describe how happy I am,” Galvan said. “Of course, I’m hoping we do well, but I’m happy enough to be going in the first place.”