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Soon, the city of Reno will be overrun by teenagers and pre-teens. But relax—they won't be trying to sneak in some gambling. Thanks to first-place wins at invitationals earlier this fall and the Peninsula Conference Championships on Oct. 30, three squads from West Valley Pop Warner Cheer will be there competing against teams from all over the Western United States in the regional championships over Thanksgiving weekend.
West Valley Pop Warner Cheer is a local division of Pop Warner, which includes programs for cheerleading and football. The programs are independent of any school, so any child who lives within the designated boundaries of the program is eligible to join. In addition, no tryouts are required for Pop Warner teams—any child who is interested can join and will be placed on a squad according to age and skill/ability level. Areas that qualify for West Valley Pop Warner are all of Saratoga and most of Los Gatos and Campbell, says cheerleading athletic director and midget head coach Jennifer Bergthold.
West Valley Pop Warner Cheer has four different squads—junior pee wee squad (ages 811), pee wee (912), junior midget (1013) and the midget (1115). The squads cheer for their corresponding West Valley Pop Warner football teams. The cheerleaders also accompany the football teams if they qualify for post-season.
In addition to cheering for the football season, the West Valley squads participate in cheerleading competitions. The teams' routines are about two minutes and 30 seconds of "very upbeat, high-tempo music," says pee wee assistant coach Elysia White.
"We consistently send three out of four of our teams to championships every year," says Bergthold. The West Valley teams won the national championships in 2002, back when they were called Los Gatos Cheer. "That's what we're going for again this year," says Bergthold.
And it appears they are well on their way. The teams all did well in the invitationals on Oct. 17 at Shoreline Amphitheater. The pee wees and midgets both took home first place in their divisions, the junior pee wees took home a third-place trophy, and the junior midgets were given a "bye" since they went to nationals the year before.
This moved all four teams into the Peninsula Conference Championships on Oct. 30 at Santa Clara University, where they came through with a big sweep. The pee wees beat out three other teams for first place, and the midgets took first out of eight. The junior midgets automatically advanced, being the only squad in the Peninsula Conference that qualifies to compete in the advanced division. The junior pee wees also did Pop Warner proud—they took home a third-place trophy. While only first and second place advance to the regional championships, their effort was still a huge success.
"They way surpassed our expectations. We were shocked and delighted when they took third place. They have a very tough division—the single toughest, with 15 teams," says Bergthold. "They worked so hard; we are so proud of them. All of our teams were happy for them."
Bergthold isn't kidding when she says being a winning cheer team is hard, say many of the West Valley Pop Warner cheerleaders. They describe it as hard work, and often coming with many injuries, as Saratoga High School student and midget team member Tara Graham can attest to.
"My first year I broke my tailbone, and re-broke it my second year. I have twisted both knees, popped my shoulder out of place, and been hit in the nose many times. I also have wrist problems," says Tara. Tara says her parents have encouraged her to quit many times after her multiple injuries. "But they know it's important to me, so it's my choice. It's a fun sport. It's worth it in the end."
Tara, who has been a Pop Warner cheerleader for three years, went to the national championships with her squad two years ago.
"It's fun. You get to meet a lot of new people," she says.
Jessica Bergthold, 14, a member of the midgets, also enjoyed her experience at the nationals two years ago. "It's a real bonding experience," she says.
The pee wees, midgets and junior midgets all appear very optimistic about the upcoming regional championships in Reno.
"I feel good. We're going to work a lot harder [on our routine] and make it even better," says 15-year-old Liz Freiden. She is on the midget squad and goes to Leigh High School in San Jose.
Pee wee head coach Tiffany Frost says she was nervous when squads from Reno traveled all the way here to watch them at the Peninsula Conference Championships and see what their routines were like, but says she has a lot of confidence in her girls.
"We're very excited. I think our chances are pretty good."
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Photograph by George Sakkestad