The Wardlaw+Hartridge varsity cheerleaders bonded, improved their techniques and earned accolades and more exciting opportunities during a four-day experience at the Pine Forest Cheerleading Camp in Honesdale, PA.
Coaches Tanda Tucker, Katie Vetland ’02 and Tatiana Margiottiello accompanied 21 W+H cheerleaders on the trip. Participants included senior captains Gbemi Olarewaju ’24, Sydney Geissler ’24, and Zara Zaidi ’24, senior Natalie Koegler ’24, juniors Nia Clark ’25, Kayla Le ’25, Savanna Lopez ’25, Liany Maldonado ’25, Kacey Marmolejos ’25, Hope Nasulme ’25, Aarya Patel. ’25 and Giselle Rodriguez ’25, sophomores Lily Bauer ’26, Nijiany Genao ’26, Gianna Rodriguez ’26 and Nitya Sahni ’26, and freshmen Rewa Gandhi ’27, Manat Grewal ’27, Carly Jones ’27, Deanna Nicholls ’27 and Jayda Richter ’27.
“Pine Forest Cheerleading Camp was a fantastic experience for our team. Returning and new cheerleaders alike were able to grow as individuals, as athletes, and most importantly as a team,” Gbemi said. “We learned about the importance of teamwork, technique, leadership, and positive attitudes. I can't wait to implement what we learned at camp and continue growing this upcoming season!”
“Going to cheer camp really brings the team together as a family, and we all get to learn about one another,” Sydney added.
“Cheer camp was a great experience that bonded our team and allowed us to improve our skill sets by learning new stunts and cheers,” Zara added.
The Rams earned a third-place team award for Sideline Cheer in the Large Varsity Division. This earned the W+H girls an invitation to the 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Performance in Orlando, FL. Four W+H girls were named All-Americans: Nijiany Genao, Gbemi Olarewaju, Gianna Rodriguez, and Giselle Rodriguez. Every cheerleader at UCA Pine Forest camps is eligible to try out for this coveted distinction and All-American cheerleaders are invited to special events around the world, including the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade and Varsity Spirit Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, HI.
“In the past, we have always competed in smaller divisions at camp and during the regular season we compete at the intermediate level, so this trophy is a big step in the right direction for our program,” Coach Tucker said. “Our cheerleaders worked hard for four days and I am just beyond proud of their work and improvement!”