Bengals Cheerleaders Eyeing Another National Title

The road to another national ranking for the Barnegat High School varsity cheerleading team is wide open.

The team came in third in the large varsity division of the Universal Cheerleaders Association’s regional competition last Saturday at the Poland Springs Arena in Toms River, qualifying them to move on to the national competition in Orlando, Florida in February, said Smith, which is the goal the girls have been working toward all year. 

“We prepare our whole season for nationals,” said the coach. “All these competitions are practice for us.”

And so far, the practice has paid off.

“The girls have done really well, and with each performance, they just keep improving,” Smith said. “They’ve had so much motivation and determination in the last four weeks with all the stunts they’re working on.”

Their progress is all the more remarkable because of where they started at the beginning of the school year.

“At first, we thought this might be a rebuilding year for us,” Smith said. “We lost a lot of seniors. We have four new fliers out of five.”

But, she said, “every year, it’s always different, and you have a different dynamic.” And this year, the girls have thrown themselves into mastering the routines they hope will carry them to a national ranking.

“A lot of them saw that experience last year and said, ‘I want to be a part of that,’” she said. Her message to them? “We have to earn it every year.”

So far, they’re right on track, Smith said. “I’m so impressed with where we are at this point in the game. We’re definitely as far as we’ve ever been, skills-wise.”

There’s certainly plenty of fundraising work ahead. Each girl must raise $900 to cover the trip or pay the difference out-of-pocket. On the horizon is a Jan. 14 cheerleading competition that the team will host, which will bring in some revenue to fund the trip. 

Want to help out? Individuals and businesses are encouraged to purchase ad space on a T-shirt the team will wear to upcoming competitions. See the attached PDF for more information.