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04/01/2024 01:15 AMThis past competitive season of cheerleading for the Branford cheer team proved itself to be a turning point in only the most positive directions. The Hornets ascended to new heights in the SCC not seen in years, while growing great optimism both internally and externally around the program.
Branford struck through in a big way once it hit the postseason phase of the competitive campaign. The Hornets placed in the top 3 of the All-Girls Division at the SCC Championship–marking the first time anyone on the current roster had been part of a Branford squad that placed that highly.
Head Coach Rachael Sawicki detailed that while the girls were certainly quite pleased with that conference placement, they achieved an added elevated level of satisfaction by growing closer and deeper as a family unit and expanding their expertise and repertoire.
“At the beginning of the season, we met with the athletes to set both individual goals and team goals. The athletes identified two overarching goals for the season. The first goal was to bond together as a team and to become a cheer family by building strong relationships with each other and fostering a supportive team environment,” said Sawicki. “The second goal was to make advances in our skills as a team, especially in our stunts and tumbling. By the end of the summer and fall seasons, all of our athletes made gains in their individual skills, whether it was making improvements in their jump or motion technique, gaining a new tumbling skill, or trying new stunting skills. During competition season, as coaches, all we want for our athletes is for them to walk off of the mat feeling proud of themselves and like they put their best effort into the performance. Awards are a bonus on top of that. We strived this year to place in the top 3 at SCCs, the first year doing so for any of our current athletes on the team.”
While competitions may take place during the cold days of winter, the Hornets’ prep for the season actually began during the long, hot days of summer at a local camp. The athletes banded together to learn and perform a mini-routine, earning a runner-up spot during their performance.
Also at the camp, the team earned recognition for top-gun stunt group (comprised of Danielle Jones, Molly Brunson, Tatum Giordano, Zu Zu Pont Strong, and Madison Polce) and top-gun dance (Angelina Biehl). In addition, they had six All-American award recipients with Giordano, Lilly Geddes, Pont Strong, Brunson, Olivia Gwiazda, and Biehl.
At Branford’s first competition of the season, the North Haven Nighthawks competition, the Hornets swarmed out on a winning note by taking the top spot. Though at the onset of things, Sawicki reflected that it was a pivotal point for the girls in terms of serving as a mental and emotional reassurance.
“We came out strong, hitting all of our stunts and tumbling skills at the North Haven competition. We won first place at that competition, and it really gave the team a much-needed confidence boost. It served as affirmation for what us coaches often tell the team: they are powerful and capable; all they need to do is believe in themselves,” said Sawicki. “We were able to grow in our skills throughout the season to continue to build our reputation as a program within our Branford community and the larger cheer community, and we are emerging as a real contender at competitions.”
The Hornets also served as hosts to a monumental event. With the support of the Branford Athletics Department and many volunteers, they were able to host their own competition, “Cheer Your Heart Out!” It was a 25-team event that Sawicki said, “was a great experience to be able to host such a large event celebrating the talent and effort that athletes put into this sport. We hope to continue this in the future.”
As they met to discuss objectives prior to the start of action, the girls also convened after the dust had settled to talk about the peaks and highlights of the journey. They explained they took great joy in not only synergy-building activities away from campus, but also declaring the biggest victories of each day in practice.
“We met individually with each of our athletes at the end of the season and asked them what they enjoyed most about cheerleading this year, and the large majority of them highlighted the team's significant growth and the strong bonds that were forged among teammates. Athletes mentioned how team bonding events outside of cheer practices, attending overnight camp, and spending time with each other between school and practices helped them to grow together,” said Sawicki. “Our practice of sharing team positives at the end of each practice helped athletes to recognize and acknowledge the positive contributions that their teammates make each day. These positives could range from major achievements, like mastering a new tumbling or stunting skill, to smaller victories such as making progress towards a new skill, stepping out of their comfort zone, or offering much-needed encouragement to a teammate.”
After finishing second in the Open Division at the NECA competition, the Hornets placed fifth for the Class M State Championships with a tally of 83.65 points. The team actually suffered through a major miscue on the state championship stage, though it was certainly not an absolute negative, as it showcased the girls’ resilience.
“We were so proud of the team for pushing through and still securing a spot in the top 5, despite a mistake in the pyramid section of the routine,” said Sawicki. “This experience underscored the importance of recovering quickly in the face of a mistake, working together to fight that much harder for the other elements of the routine, and delivering a strong performance all the way through the end. The team did exactly that; with this score, we qualified to compete the following weekend at Team of the Year meet, allowing us to have one last performance together. It is always an honor to compete at Team of the Year alongside the top high school cheer teams across the whole state. We are proud to have scored in the top half of those teams and to end our season on a very positive note.”
Brunson and Polce additionally earned All-State Team selection, while at the conference level, Giordano, Brunson, and Polce qualified for the All-SCC squad.
Branford’s three seniors were Jones, Caroline Chasse, and Cameron Krebs–a trio Sawicki was consistently impressed by daily as athletes and mentors. Additionally, the Hornets were pleased to have their leadership backed up by junior captains Giordano and Pont Strong to prime themselves for bigger stewardship appointments down the line.
“All three of our seniors were great leaders in their own ways, leaving a lasting impact on the team and their coaches. We will miss them when they graduate, but we are grateful for the contributions they have made to the team. We are excited to see what they will accomplish in their bright futures and will always be cheering them on,” Sawicki said. “Tatum Giordano and Zu Zu Pont Strong truly stepped up as leaders this year. Their leadership was evident through their words and actions, both on and off the mat. They played a pivotal role in motivating and supporting their teammates through the competition season, contributing significantly to the team's success.”
Looking ahead to 2024-2025, there truthfully is no offseason when it comes to the cheerleading life in Branford, and so the coaches offer varying term options for athletes’ participation. Regardless of whether girls elect to take to the mats one season or two, they are eager to build off of some personal development made this winter.
“Cheerleading demands a significant commitment, since it runs through both the fall and winter seasons. To accommodate our athletes' preferences, we offer the choice of participating in the game-day season only [fall] or both the game-day and competition season [fall and winter]. We anticipate the return of many of our athletes and are hopeful that we can continue to build on our skills and momentum as a team next year. We even have some new skills that the athletes earned at the end of this past season that we are excited to debut on the mat next year.”
Furthermore from the year, Branford had 13 athletes choose to continue on to the winter season from the game-day slate. Sawicki and the program are looking to capitalize on that trend of popularity and make it a normality with respect to constant growth of the roster.
“We are hoping to generate enough interest in the competition season next year to be able to continue to grow our program to potentially have both a JV and a varsity competition team,” said Sawicki. “Next year promises to be an exciting season for Branford cheer and will be one to watch for sure. Our athletes are determined to continue to build upon this positive momentum that we have been building over the past few years, and we hope to see it all come together on the mat during competition season next year.”