The Pascack Valley cheerleaders won their division at the All-Levels Competition at Paramus Catholic High School.

The team hit every element of their routine: stunts, tumbling, jumps and rounded out with its dance. This may have been its best performance of the season thus far.

Their near-flawless performance doesn’t come without bumps in the road though. The team went through a less than stellar warm-up minutes before it competed, and the team agreed that it definitely made them nervous, but when the adrenaline kicks in, the girls go on autopilot, feeding off the crowd’s response to their routine.

“The energy in the room made me want to try even harder to do my best which was a great feeling, “ said senior captain Jessica Blankenbush.

An inexperienced team, with only one senior and two juniors leading, this looked to be a “rebuilding” year of sorts, giving the younger and inexperienced cheerleaders a chance to get more experience at the varsity level.

“Everyone worked as a team,” said third-year coach Jessica Andersen. “[They] encouraged each other and pushed each other to their best ability.”

Teamwork is very key in the sport. The fliers need to trust their bases that they will throw and catch them, along with the bases trusting the fliers to do their job by staying confident in themselves in the air and trusting the people that are lifting them too.

Earlier in the week, the notion that teamwork is the most important proved to be key. Freshman flyer Nicole Martino helped teammates get ready for the competition by helping the other girls nail a stunt that would be key in the competition.

Another key performer was The Smoke Signal’s own Claudia Ralph.

“Claudia had the determination not to give up and had the determination to get the [skill] despite getting smacked in the face several times,” said Andersen.

Ralph, who has been on the team for three years, has felt a change in attitude for the team since the season started.

“I felt very different, going into competition season this year. I felt not only more confident in myself, but in my teammates as well, “ Ralph added, “This year has definitely proved to be challenging, but yet beneficial in so many ways.”

The team can’t rest on their laurels after this win, their schedule proves to be a tough one these next few weeks. Andersen knows that the team has a lot to work before going into the State Championship at Sun Bank Arena in Trenton.

“Going into states we need to increase our level of difficulty and clean up some motions and jumps.”

As the team heads down to the competition, the first place isn’t the only thing on their mind.

“I feel like this year is something more than just winning everywhere we compete, “ said Ralph. “It is more rewarding to win with a struggle, it makes us feel like we have accomplished something great together.”