Kids & Family
Danvers Youth Cheerleaders on Winning Streak, Remember Slain Teacher
A moment of silence was observed prior to the competition in honor of Colleen Ritzer and proceeds from the event were donated to a scholarship fund in her memory.
Danvers Youth Cheerleaders performed some championship winning performances last week and made sure to take a moment to remember slain math teacher Colleen Ritzer.
The Danvers Youth Football Cheerleading program hosted the Cape Ann Youth Football League Cheerleading (CAYFL) Competition Nov. 2 at Danvers High School.
Danvers program director Catherine Wolniewicz says a moment of silence was observed before the competition got underway and pink ribbons --Ritzer's favorite color -- were worn by all volunteers that day. She added that all net proceeds from a raffle, ticket sales and apparel were donated to a scholarship fund in Ritzer's memory.
Three of Danvers' squads (D, JVD and E) placed first in their divisions with the D squad winning the Overall Grand Champion Award with the highest total score. Wolniewicz said the other three squads (A, JVA and
C) placed second and took home the 2013 Dorothy Cotter Memorial Spirit Award.
And then this Saturday, DYF Cheerleaders are headed to the New England Cheer and Dance Competition in Boston after placing five out of six squads first in their respective divisions at the Cheer for a Cure competition at Ipswich High School.
Saturday's event will be held at the Reggie Lewis Center and teams vie for a spot in the National All-Star Cheerleading Championships in Disney World this winter.
“We are so very proud of our cheerleaders; they have been extremely dedicated to our program working incredibly hard since the summer. Despite the tragic events of last week, our board, parent advisors and high school student coaches were able to lead their teams to victory," said Wolniewicz. “We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome."
Proceeds from the annual Cheer for a Cure Invitational are donated to breast cancer awareness and research. DYF cheerleaders also raised funds for the Dana-Farber Cheer program throughout October.
DYF ended its regular season last year with two first place titles and a trip to the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Fla., where the U9 Division won a 4th place champion title to take back to Danvers.
You can find more information at www.danverscheer.com or check out the DYF Facebook page.
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