CONTRIBUTED Members of the team with their trophy and Mayor Mark Lauretti.
The 35 girls, made up of 4th and 5th graders, traveled with their coaches and families to Orlando, FL this past December to compete at American Youth Cheer’s (AYC) national championships.
Not only did Shelton win first place, but they had the highest score of the day, outscoring teams that were much older than themselves.
Their road to nationals started in August when the girls began practicing four nights a week. Once school began, the team practiced at least three times a week and cheered at football games on the weekend.
In October, the team took first place and grand champs at the local Colonial Conference competition. They then competed at states, where they took first place and had the highest score of the competition.
On November 23, they defeated 15 other teams and won their division at the New England regional championships. This regional victory qualified them to represent the town of Shelton at nationals in Florida.
Led by head coach Michelle Civale, and assistant coaches Courtney Aurora, Lauren Cisero, Tori Kochiss, Tammy Lupia and Chrissi Werner, the Shelton Vikings Divison 10 team defeated seven regional champion teams from around the country to become national champions.
The team and their coaches were honored at the Vikings cheer banquet Feb. 7 and attended a special dinner in their honor hosted by Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti and the Shelton Board of Education on Monday (March 24) where they received a certificate of achievement.
They look forward to another winning season.
