THREE CHEERS ! Fox Chapel Area High School Varsity Cheerleaders Have a Winning Year !
BY JENNIFER BROZAK
Following the extraordinary success of the past year , Fox Chapel Area High School ’ s varsity cheerleading team could warrant a cheering section of its very own .
Under the direction of head coach Aleta Balcer , the squad has won several competitions , performed at a college bowl game , and marched in the Macy ’ s Holiday Parade at Universal Studios , all in the span of less than a year .
In November , the varsity team , which consists of 21 girls , took third place in the South Hills Showdown , a cheerleading and dance competition that was held at Bethel Park High School . Then , in December , they won first place for the second year in a row at the Battle in the Burgh , a national championship competition held by Elite Cheerleading , the country ’ s largest private cheer camp organization . What makes their success stand out is that prior to these recent wins , Fox Chapel Area ’ s varsity cheerleaders hadn ’ t competed in more than a decade .
“ It takes a lot of work and dedication to compete and the girls work very hard to be the best they can ,” says Balcer , 43 , who ’ s in her second year of coaching at the high school . “ I am so blessed to be able to bring this opportunity to the girls , as well as to the school district .”
Starting in June , the girls practice twice a week — or more if they have a competition coming up .
“ I think it takes a lot of open mindedness with a group of girls in general , but when it comes to cheerleading , anyone who is involved knows that it takes a lot of time throughout the year ,” says Krista Zottola , captain of the varsity squad . “ We start tryouts in May and we do not stop practicing and preparing until the end of the basketball season , through playoffs .”
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