The Vandegrift varsity cheerleaders will be competing at the National Cheer Association High School National Championships this weekend in Dallas. The Viper cheerleaders are competing in a division of 11 teams.  The girls have high hopes of taking home first place at the national competition, and they know that they will have to work hard to achieve that goal.

“We have been having after school practice every day and tumbling a lot to make sure our skills are ready,” junior Taylor Schiff said.

In December, the Viper cheerleaders competed against seven other teams where they took the state title. Since then, the girls have been practicing non-stop as well as conditioning to physically prepare for Nationals. The Viper cheerleaders are favored to win the national title this weekend since they won the state championship back in December.  

“We are really excited to go to Nationals and prove how hard we have been working. We have a good shot since we won state,” senior Cat Dehne said.

The competition squad has been devoting most of their time preparing for this event. The girls want to perfect a routine in order to win first place for the first time in Vandegrift history at the National Championships. Varsity senior captain Amey Langford is hopeful for the outcome of this weekend’s competition.

 “We have worked very hard for the past year and our goal is to take home the first national championship title for Vandegrift High school cheer,” Langford said.