Five total state championships. Winning three of their last four state championships. You would think this would be the ultimate goal for any team.
Not West Nassau Cheerleading.
They aspired to be more, to do more. Their motto for this year’s squad was “my dream team taking all the rings”. When they became NHSCC National Champions, the dream team did just that.
This was the first National Title for West Nassau cheerleading, but with head coach Samantha Beazley at the helm, it certainly won’t be their last. Their preparation goes above and beyond even the toughest high school teams.
“We exercise throughout the summer to keep ourselves conditioned,” Beazley said. ”Once school begins in August, we’re practicing 3-4 times a week for 2-3 hours a day throughout the fall and winter, in addition to supporting our football and basketball teams. Our practices are often and long with only one thing on our minds: execution! We know in order to be successful on the State and National level, we must execute our routine to the best of our ability, and we really spent a lot of time focusing on that this year.”
Once the team won their fifth FHSAA title, they immediately turned their attention to a national title. The stage was set: Sunday, February 7th, 2016, at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Disneyworld.
“The Championship is our favorite competition of the year for us. Being the last competition on our schedule, we really enjoy spending time bonding with each other while making memories at the ‘Happiest place on Earth’.”
Their routine, flawlessly executed, had several defining features.
“Some of our highlights include our ‘no hands’ switch up one-mans and our one and half up to single leg and teddy bear full ups in our stunt sequence.”
Coach Samantha Beazley acknowledged that every team faces challenges, but also mentioned that they had a few more than usual.
“When we’re on the floor, we know the judges don’t know what it took for us to get to where we are. We actually had a coaching change at the beginning of the season and lost 2 girls just weeks before Nationals and had to completely revamp our routine. Although we had moments of doubt and fear, we worked hard together and became a better, closer team, and I think that showed on the floor.”
We all know what happens next. But how did it feel hearing their name get called as National Champions?
“Completely exhilarating! No feeling in the world will ever compare to the amount of excitement we all had after experiencing the setbacks we encountered. In that moment, all of the blood, sweat, tears and hard times were 100% worth it and becoming National Champions just meant that we truly overcame everything!”
If you think winning a state title and a national title means they get to take a break, you’re definitely mistaken. The team is now hard at work, trying to win their next titles, and the small town of Callahan is right beside them.
“Since winning Nationals, our town has been amazingly supportive. We’ve even received the “Key to the City” from our Mayor and he declared February 2016 as “West Nassau Varsity Cheer Month”. In just a few short weeks, we will be holding tryouts for the 2016-2017 season so we can get to working on defending our title!”
Special Feature/North Florida/June-July 2016
West Nassau High School
Jacksonville, Florida
Kim Hoy
West Nassau Cheer: National Champions
