Cheerleaders Fine Tune Routines Ahead of Florida Trip [VIDEO]

When the Watchung Pop Warner Midget cheerleading team takes to the mats in the National Cheer Championships next week at Disney World, the trip will mark a high point in the lifelong friendship of coaches Cindy Braunstein and Kris Trimble.

Braunstein and Trimble have been friends they were toddlers, sharing years together as cheerleaders with the Pop Warner program while growing up, and more recently, while coaching as their daughters joined the program.

But in all that time, they had never been invited to compete at the nationals. In fact, this is the first time any of the Watchung Hills Pop Warner cheer squads had qualified for the National Cheer Competition.

"So this is really special," Trimble said of the Midget and Jr. Pee Wee squads qualifying. "And the fact both teams are going is unbelieveable."  

It may be unbelieveable, but anyone who has seen them compete or perform at Pop Warner football games has probably concluded it's well-earned. The Jr. Pee Wees—girls in the fourth, fifth- and sixth-grades—perform with precision; in practice, all 18 girls count together, snapping their moves with perfect timing. The Midget squad moves smoothly and effortlessly through complicated routines, effortlessly leaping into pyramids, cartwheels and flips.

It all begins about the first of August, Pop Warner Cheer Commissioner Lori Butrico said. That's when the cheerleaders and coaches begin working on the routines, practicing about 10 hours per week (until school starts, then it's six hours weekly) until competitions begin about the middle of August.

"It's very difficult because they practice this routine from Aug. 1—but they don't put it out there until the middle of October," Butrico said.

But she added this year, when she saw the squads perform in the competition, she said, "Wow."

That's when the coaches knew they were in for a special season.

"They just really shined at the competition and we knew we had a really special team," Angela Salermo, head coach of the Jr. Pee Wee squad said.

Salermo gets help coaching her team from assistant coaches Nicole Mistichelli, Bessie Piro and Denise DePekary. Braunstein and Trimble have secret weapons in the Midget squad's "Demos"—Watchung Hills students Liana Esposito and Carlee Faccia, a varsity cheerleader and gymnast, respectively, who can teach the girls the finer points of the maneuvers in their choreographed routine.

The Jr. Pee Wees head down to Florida this weekend, with their competition slated for Monday morning. The Midgets will head down next week, in time for their competition on Dec. 9 (be sure to check here for updates as the teams travel and compete).

The Midget team includes Karly Trimble, Jessica Mendez, Katie Tiarks (team captain), Kiki Goldstein, Brianna King, Alexa Butrico, Sam Marion, Olivia Braunstein, Katie Napell, Tatiana Salermo, Alexa Hait, Marissa Butrico, Melissa Marion and Alexa Mandel.

The Jr. Pee Wees are Kelly Saum, Summer Huber, Kendal MacTaggart, Ashley Johnson, Amanda Weiss, Ariana Salermo, Alexa Mistichelli, Gina Fiacco, Eden DePekary, Andrea Rica, Makenna Decker, Lexie Magidson Haley Crawford,  Kendyll Messarosh, Isabella Friedman, Shannon Twill, Justine Piro and Sophie Marsillo.

You can help the squads make it to the competition in Florida at a special event tonight at Uproot Restaurant. Email watchunghillspw@yahoo.com or rebeccantodd@yahoo.com for information or reservations.