By Shanese Mullins
A Bronx high school team bought home a division trophy at the 29th annual Cheerleading and Dance Championship held at Six Flags Great Adventures & Safari in Jackson, New Jersey.
For the past 29 years, Six Flags Great Adventures & Safari parks across the United States have held competitions for elementary, junior high, high school, all-star and recreation cheerleading and dance teams. The divisions are broken down into categories: school, recreation, all-star, all-star prep and dance.
The Sharks team, from Christopher Columbus Educational Campus located in the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx, has competed for years, often walking away with a trophy. While the Sharks have traditionally competed in the both cheerleading and dance, for this year’s event, held May 11, the team only competed in the cheerleading category.
It won the varsity division of the event, competing against Eagle Academy Queens Campus, which came in second place, and New Jersey’s Perth Amboy High School, which came in third. The teams performed a three-minute routine and were judged based on appearance, choreography, technique, difficulty, showmanship, precision and overall presentation.
“The cheerleaders didn’t know what to expect because it was the first competition of their high school careers,” said Tia-Mona Greene, 25, one of the coaches and a former member of the Sharks. Greene was proud of team and their hard work. “As high school athletes, our coaches constantly told us that cleanliness and sharpness would always win, and that was something we tried to teach our team,” said Greene.
Hundreds came out to watch the event. “It was very entertaining to watch students of all different ages showcase their talents in front of such a large crowd,” said spectator Melissa Morales, 25, a former high school athlete whose team has won the dance competition in the past. “You can tell they all genuinely had fun and the crowd was very into it as well.”
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