Pleasant Hills Middle School varsity cheer team places sixth in nation

The Pleasant Hills Middle School varsity cheer team was a national finalist this season.

The PH girls qualified for the National High School Cheerleading Championship, held Feb. 7-9 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

A total of 28 teams competed in the varsity division; 12 qualified for the semifinals.

“Their day two-day performance was energetic and flawless,” said Kim Stadelman, Thomas Jefferson High School’s varsity cheer coach, who also coaches the PHMS girls. “This is a huge accomplishment for the cheer program. We are very proud of the girls.”

After advancing to the finals, the PH girls nailed their routine with a 0-point deduction and placed sixth in the nation.

Stadelman, in her first year as head coach, is assisted by her daughters, Brianne Stadelman and Kelsie Stadelman, and Taylor Stauffer, a volunteer coach.

Kelsie Stadelman, who also coaches the junior high team, and her sister are TJ graduates and former high school and college cheerleaders.

“It was such an amazing experience for everyone who got to be involved,” Kelsie Stadelman said, “and seeing the support between the high schoolers and middle schoolers was rewarding itself. The girls had a flawless last performance of the season. We coaches are very thankful for the support of the parents and district for allowing us to have opportunities like this.

“To say I’m proud of these kids is an understatement. They set the bar extremely high for next season, and I’m excited to continue working with them and achieve more of our goals.”

The eighth-graders on the PHMS cheer team consist of Laney Auman, Corrin Budday, Julie Evanchak, Kendall Laboon, Sophia Laux, Maya Milani, Holly Neville, Isabelle Richter, Isabella Salmon and Grace Vogtsberger.

Auman is team captain. Budday and Evanchak are co-captains.

“My expectations for this season were exceeded, and I am so incredibly proud of everyone,” Auman said. “After performing at finals, we all came off the mat crying because we were so proud of each other.

“We were also so upset because it was our last time performing together; we had come so far as a team. We were so overwhelmingly happy with ourselves. I couldn’t have asked for a better feeling or experience.”

Auman said the cheer squad held lofty expectations for the 2019-20 season.

“Our goal was to make it to finals,” she said. ”As the season continued, everyone began to show immense improvement and we worked so hard to achieve our goal.

“It was clear everyone was determined to do whatever it would take to get to finals.”

Auman said the bonding experience by the PHMS girls in Orlando is something she will cherish throughout her high school days.

“We all got so much closer during our trip,” she said, “and now I am even able to call (the team) my second family. We bring each other up, even during the toughest times.”

Kelsie Stadelman said Auman was instrumental in the team’s success this year.

“Laney is passionate, dedicated and very talented,” coach Stadelman said. “Where she is in the gym or out of the gym, she is always working to be better. Laney always has a positive attitude and she most definitely played a huge role in the team’s success.”

Cloe Blank, Natalie Borneman, Celena Cooke, Madelyn Ellis, Kendal Fernandes, Ashlee Kazimer, Isabella Kear, Nadia Stella, Jasmyne Trainer and Emily Withers are seventh graders on this year’s squad.

PHMS received its bid to nationals at the UCA Allegheny regional competition held at Slippery Rock. The Jaguars took first place in their division.

“They did not settle, continued to work hard, and were eager to achieve more,” Kelsie Stadelman said. “Their hard work and dedication led them to their common goal of making it through to finals at the NHSCC nationals.”

The PHMS girls, mirroring TJ’s varsity team, worked on more difficult tumbling and stunts this year. Their cheer portion was choreographed for crowd effectiveness and had high energy highlighted with facial expressions and voice projections.

Next year, the younger girls in the middle school program will be eighth-graders and will assume more prevalent leadership roles.

Thanks to their top-10 national showing, they will have a head start on another potential banner campaign.

“The beginning of the season is the most challenging with middle school because it is almost an entirely new team every year,” Kelsie Stadelman said. “The eighth-graders continue (on) to high school cheer and a new group of seventh-graders tries out.

“However, my expectations remain high for the kids.”

As for the ever-positive Auman, she can’t wait to begin cheering again next season.

“I think we have all come so far,” she said, “and I can’t wait to see what our future holds.”