The Norristown Area High School Cheerleading Team is departing this Thursday to compete in the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida. The team, led by coaches Jen, Autumn, and Tori Hudson, received two paid bids for the championship, set to be through February 11th-February 13th. A bid, a formal invitation that solidifies your qualification for nationals, was given to the cheer team on December 5th. The team will be competing in both the traditional and game-day divisions.

“When they told us, we at first thought we were going to take pictures,” Kayla Colley, a junior on the team, stated. “When we walked down, we saw that they were actually recording us, and then they broke the news that we got a bid to nationals and placed first in regionals for traditional. It was so exciting.”

The National High School Cheerleading Championship (NHSCC), run by the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA), will be attended by hundreds of cheer teams across the country. Held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the championship, created in 1980, is one of the nation’s biggest cheerleading competitions. 

The Norristown Area High School cheerleading program is no stranger to NHCC. The program has qualified for Nationals many times throughout its history, and in recent years, have been UCA National qualifiers in 2018, 2019, 2020 in which they placed 11th in the nation, and now, 2022. The legacy and prestige of Town Cheer can be seen through it’s experiences, history, and leadership, as coaches Autumn and Tori are coach Jen’s daughters, all Town Cheer alumni.

The team, which has not only been competing in weekend competitions but supports Norristown sports at both home and away games, hopes to end this successful year on a high note. Senior Josalen Rose states, “This season, out of all of my years cheering on this team, has by far been the greatest. My coaches have been pushing us to be the best we can be, and we want to be champions. They tell us, ‘Pain is temporary, but championships are forever.’” 

When asked about the preparation the team has been doing for the competition, Rose was confident. “We’re practicing 4, maybe 5 days a week, as well as competing to get as much feedback from the judges. It can be hard, stressful, and tiring, but in the end, it’s worth it. So far, we are on the right track.”

Colley expressed a similar answer. “We are hoping to accomplish a lot at Nationals. To win, you need to put in time, effort, and focus on what you need to do, which is all of what we have been doing. I think we can win.” 

As competition approaches, Rose feels good about the spot they are in and the responses the team has received.“We have so much support and love this year. I can’t wait to see what we come home to in February!”

To follow Town Cheer’s journey, be sure to follow the team’s Instagram, @towncheer, and to watch the National High School Cheerleading Championship, beginning on February 11th, on ESPN, or through Varsity.com.