By JESSICA HARDING
Staff Writer
SAYREVILLE — A victorious cheerleading season will land the Sayreville Leprechauns in the happiest place on earth — Disney World.
For the first time in Sayreville Leprechauns’ history, two sister teams will be representing the Eastern Region and Sayreville at the Pop Warner Cheer and Dance National Championships.
The competition will take place in December at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.
Team Mom, Nikki Kaiser, is extremely proud of a season of hard work.
“We couldn’t be more excited for the girls and coaches!” she exclaimed. “It is such a great accomplishment for these girls, and we are so excited to see them rock the mat down in Disney as they compete for the title of National Champions.”
The PeeWee Cheer Team consists of fifth- and sixth-grade girls who took first place at the Central Jersey competition in October. This finish advanced them to compete at the Eastern Region.
Claiming another victory title at Eastern Region, the girls sealed their fate as competitors in the National Championship in Disney.
The Junior Varsity team includes members who are in the seventh and eighth grades. These girls took second place at the Central Jersey competition, also in October.
The second-place effort allowed them the opportunity to also compete at the Eastern Region. There, they placed first, which secured them a bid to also go to the National Championship.
These two dedicated teams competed against the best in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
There are eight regions throughout the country in Pop Warner. The top two in each category move on to compete in Florida.
Cheer Director Sonya Pearson is extremely happy to see all the determination of the girls paying off.
“I am very excited for them,” she said. “We have been very fortunate in the past to have one team go, but to have two is a huge accomplishment.”
Pearson has stayed in her position because she truly loves it.
“I stay because I love the girls. Watching them perform, realizing their hard work and having the best coaches all make my job easier.”
The regular season for the teams starts in August and continues throughout the school year.
To donate to the teams to help offset their travel costs, send donations to: Sayreville Leprechauns, Attn: 2016 Cheer Team Donation, P.O. Box 1179, Sayreville, NJ 08871.