Three cheerleading teams from Vaudreuil-Soulanges recently distinguished themselves on February 10 and 11 at the Universal Cheerleaders Association's U.S. High School National Championship, held at Disney World's ESPN Wide World Sports in Orlando, Florida. 

The sports teams from Cité-des-Jeunes and Soulanges high schools didn't just leave a good impression on the competition judges. They also charmed them by finishing 1st and 3rd respectively in their respective categories, ranking them among the best school cheerleading teams in the world. 

Fine results despite an obstacle-ridden course 

The champion team, which climbed to the top of the podium in first place, was the Citadins from Vaudreuil-Dorion's Cité-des-Jeunes high school. Not far behind in 3rd place in their respective categories were the Pionniers Darkness and the Pionniers Black-out. 

These exceptional results are the pride and joy of Monique Rochefort, head coach of all three teams, who has been in the profession for 20 years. 

"The teams are made up of young people aged between 12 and 17. Only one boy is a cheerleader on one of the teams, and the rest of the participants are girls.Their efforts and all the obstacles they had to overcome to get there are to be commended. There was no training for a month due to the strike, since the youngsters practice cheerleading as an extracurricular activity and not as part of a sports-study program. So everyone worked very hard to achieve this result," she sums up over the phone. 

A minute and a half to win over the judges

For Ms. Rochefort, this is her 4th participation in the Universal Cheerleaders Association's American High School National Championship, which is always held at Disneyland every two years. For some of the girls from Vaudreuil-Soulanges, it was their first experience there. Most of the cheerleaders had already taken part in the event, which brings together teams from the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico and all over the world. 

How are the competitions run?

Is director Peyton Reed's movie Bring it on realistic? "Actually, yes, it is (laughs)!That's pretty much how it goes.We have one minute at the beginning to introduce our team and our colors. After that, we have to present a one-and-a-half-minute choreography on which we're evaluated. It's me and my colleagues who design the choreography from A to Z," she adds. 

How do you come up with an original cheerleading routine?By watching long hours of content on Netflix or other platforms for inspiration. "You also have to respect the rules of the Universal Cheerleaders Association, to which all participating teams are subject. In closing, I'd like to thank my entire coaching team, the accompanying parents and, of course, congratulate the athletes," she concludes.