How Rocky Point cheerleading team picked itself up off mat
Rocky Point celebrates after winning the state Class B cheerleading title at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y., on March 8. Credit: /Marilu Lopez Fretts
These Eagles soared higher than ever before.
The Rocky Point cheerleading team secured its second state championship with the highest score of the morning session at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, earning an 87.90 to claim the class B competitive crown.
“Every stunt we hit gave us more motivation to keep going,” senior flyer Ella Reisinger said. “We weren’t going to stop.”
From winning six of seven county competitions to experiencing defeat at a regional championship, the Eagles were determined to turn every moment into motivation for success.
“A few things didn’t work out this season that we hoped, but we were motivated to work harder and show everyone we could keep going,” Reisinger said. “We felt that defeat a few times this season and we didn’t want it in our last time on the mat.”
No one hurdled a more difficult obstacle than senior flyer Callie Russell. Despite dislocating her elbow in February, a week before the UCA national championship, she was back on the mat for the state championship.
“I trusted the girls and people that were in every spot, and we’re all a family and motivated each other to push through,” Russell said. “Before I went on the mat, I was scared because I was in pain, and they really helped me mentally. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
The team’s motivation was also shaped by the loss they endured last season at the county championship, where Rocky Point finished shy of a state championship appearance by 0.1 point.
“We dreamed of that moment of winning a state title since the beginning of the season,” Russell said. “We had the mindset of just having fun and enjoying our last moment of the year, but we used the losses and turned them into motivation to be better and show our best."
The last time Rocky Point earned a state championship title was in 2019, when coach Samantha Ferrara was a flyer on the Eagles squad. Ferrara, who returned last year as the Eagles' coach, couldn’t have been prouder of her team’s growth.
“They were not stopping until they completed their goal, and I had the feeling they did it watching the finals,” Ferrara said. “Doing it as a coach is the greatest feeling because you’re so proud they get to feel what you felt.”
With six of the 17 squad members being seniors, they hope their state title will ignite a flame in the underclassmen to continue soaring to new heights.
“I think it was really important to reassure everyone that we were all capable of doing it and they know they can do it again,” Reisinger said. “All of the feelings they experienced along the way will give them drive in the upcoming seasons to come back even stronger.”
