Squads will go to the state Pop Warner competition at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton on Nov. 30.
By: Melissa Edmond
The Manville Pop Warner Cheerleaders Pinto and Colt squads are working on perfecting their routines for the Nov. 20 state Pop Warner competition at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, according to Cheer Commissioner Katie Ader Puza.
"Manville Pop Warner has never gotten this far in cheerleading," said Ms. Ader Puza. "If they place first or second in their respective divisions, they will qualify for the National Pop Warner Competition in Disney World in early December."
She said the Pinto squad will compete against 15 teams and the Colts will compete against 18 teams in the state competition if all the eligible teams register in time. She said they will spend the days before the state competition correcting their routines.
Ms. Ader Puza said that going to the national competition will cost $600 per girl. She said that if the girls win the state competition, "they’d have to come up with the money right after states and that’s hard for a parent to come up with so close to Christmas."
She said Greg Schneider, the president of the MYAL, said the club is going to stand behind the cheerleaders and do whatever needs to be done to financially support them. Ms. Ader Puza said the Pinto squad qualified for states by placing high enough in the regional competition on Nov. 5. They competed against eight teams and the Colt squad competed against six teams. The Pintos finished in the top four and the Colts finished in the top six.
"This is huge for these girls. They’re competing against the best of the best and that’s what we’re looking to be the best of the best in our category," she said.
"They’ve been practicing for a long time," she added. They practiced five nights per week in August and three nights per week once school started, she said.
"Hopefully, the kids will see that this is a really good program and come out and play next year," Ms. Ader Puza said, pointing out that the number for the Pop Warner cheerleading squads and football teams were lower than usual this season. The two squads placed first at the Oct. 8 Raritan Valley Conference local competition in Kenilworth.

