MASSAPEQUA, NY – A performance to a packed house was a shining moment for the students of the Massapequa school district’s Challenger cheerleading squad. The team was chosen to showcase their routine at a recent Nassau County cheerleading competition.
Ed Hoffman, physical education president and athletic coordinator at Berner Middle School, said this was a new opportunity for the Challenger cheerleading squad, which normally cheers at Challenger basketball games. The team is made up of students in grades 6-12, led by coaches Dr. Lauren Dean and Kathleen Wegener.
Hoffman said she contacted the Nassau County Public School Cheerleading Coordinator, who eagerly greenlighted the Massapequa team to perform between the middle and high school portions of the Jan. 7 competition at Wantagh High School. With middle and high school teams in the building, as well as coaches and families, the Massapequa team performed to a sizable crowd.
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“It was amazing,” Hoffman said. “The students had a lot of fun. On the same subject : It’s clear that the cheerleaders for the stupid lockdown policy have blood on their hands, says Mark Dolan.. They were able to perform for a much larger audience, surrounded by people from different cities and high schools, which made it very special.”
Students from the Best Buddies club, which has chapters in Berner, Ames and the high school, worked with the cheerleaders to help practice their routine and also attended the Jan. 7 show to show their support.
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Hoffman, the Nassau County coordinator for the Challenge sports league, said there is a football program in the fall, along with basketball and cheerleading in the winter season. Read also : Falcons return from USO tour to Iraq with great honor for those making the ‘ultimate sacrifice’. A track and field program will be added next spring.
“There’s something special about being part of a team within your school,” she said, “and that’s what Challenger sports offers our students.”
