The coyotes’ competitive cheerleaders took on UCA (Universal Cheer Association) Nationals for the third year in a row, setting the record for the program and building expectations for the following season.

“Going to nationals three years in a row is an incredible feat, it is not an easy accomplishment and especially with a lot of our cheerleaders not having traditional cheerleading experience, meaning a lot of our girls started cheerleading in middle or high school, and to already be at that level I think speaks to their dedication and the talent pool that we have,” cheer coach Mallorie Flynn shared.

This year both competitive teams, game day and traditional, earned a bid to the UCA National competition at ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Disney World. Traditional as the more experienced team as it has competed at Nationals for three years, while this was only gameday’s second year attending.

“It was a very fun experience to be able to take both teams to the Nationals for the second time in a row, especially when I get to compete on both teams,” junior Marcella Perez-Ortiz said.

The teams competed on Friday, January 30th, however; the cheerleaders got to spend a 4-day weekend visiting Disney parks and enjoying the All-Start music Resort.

“We do a team Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios where the whole team goes on the ride and it is really funny, I love looking back at the video and seeing everyone’s faces, “junior Nyla Smith said.

This 4-day stay featured Florida’s dropping temperatures which had the cheerleaders trading their uniforms for warmer coats so they could enjoy the parks.

“It was freezing, I was wearing a multitude of layers every day, and the days we were going to Disney parks it was when it was coldest, especially staying late at the parks, I was bundled up,” sophomore Kailey Rose said.

The UCA Nationals have three days of competition in total, and the teams must earn a high enough score to advance to the third and final day; the Four Corners Upper School (FCUS) teams unfortunately did not reach Day 2 of competitions after their performance on the first day.

Although the judges did not give clear reasons as to why the teams did not stay in the competition, Smith believes that timing and choreography were some of the obstacles that might have kept the teams from advancing at the national level.

“I feel like if we had gotten choreographed at the beginning of the season instead of twelve days before Nationals, we would’ve had a lot more time to get it cleaner and where it needs to be, we would have a lot better chance to go to Day two,” Smith said.

After receiving a bid to Nationals at the regional competition, the cheerleaders were somewhat confident; however, the scoring and skill level at the nation-wide scale was harsher than some expected.

“I think we didn’t expect them to be as harsh with the scoring because every team that went to regionals got at least ten points below what they got at regionals at National’s, so they were harsh and we should have prepared better for that,” Smith said.

This was Rose’s second year going to National’s with the competitive teams, however this year she starred as the youngest cheerleader on the Traditional team.

“Last year there was a lot more nerves just being my first time performing [at Nationals] and Game Day’s first time competing, this year, although we did not make it to Day two again, it just felt stronger as a routine specifically for the Game Day team,” Kailey Rose said.

Looking back on their routine, Rose believes that there were certain things that the Game Day team could improve on, nevertheless she is proud of the performance affirming it was one of the best of the season.

“I think we can work on our crowd engagement, so like all the spiriting and energy, and I just think after how we performed at Nationals, that being one of our best performances it will encourage us to keep climbing and not settle to that being our best but to keep getting better,” Rose said.

In such a competitive environment, support and encouragement help these athletes thrive, so cheer Coach Shannon Marino created a program where loved ones could send handwritten letters to the cheerleaders before they took to the mat.

“One [letter] that touched me was Mrs. Tripp’s, she wrote me one last year and this year again and I really appreciate it because I did not expect it last year and this is I was ready and it really means a lot to me,” Rose said.

As a coach, Flynn focused on keeping the cheerleaders grounded and nurturing their excitement as she too experienced nationals with her high school team.

“Nationals itself is like an electric environment, and I think it is something that even, like going through as an athlete was so different than going through as a coach, there is such an adrenaline and you’re seeing the competition in front of you,” Flynn continued “I think that is also breeds this competition, because, you know you are going against the best of the best, you look to your left and you see teams that have won nationals three or four years in a row and that are throwing incredible stunts, amazing sign work or tumbling,” Flynn stated.

With this year’s season coming to an end, senior Ava Maffie is helping build the new FCUS cheer Alumni program. This program will connect cheerleaders that have graduated from FCUS by organizing events to motivate and encourage the current cheerleaders on the teams, giving them a support system they can always count on.

“We want to show that we are still here, and we are still supporting, and we can help with our skills and show that after [high school] cheer you don’t have to be done, but you can keep going,” Maffie said.

For these cheerleaders, consistency is key, and they carry on motivated to hopefully advance to Day 2 of competition at the UCA Nationals in the 2026-27 season.

“I want to make sure my next season is a memorable one because it is my senior year and I’m looking forward to putting in the work and dedication to make it the best season yet,” Smith said.