By Tamas Mondovics
The start of the 2013 fall football and cheer season arrived with high expectations for the Brandon-Valrico Rams Youth Football and Cheerleading Organization, which excitedly announced its Pop Warner Little Scholars program affiliation earlier this year.
“We are very pleased to be joining Pop Warner and continuing our mission of service, through athletics, to the youth of our community,” said Rams President Ernest Matthews after announcing the organization’s plan.
It is safe to say, the Rams have not only met, but in fact surpassed expectations by sporting a solid season, which included the success of its cheerleaders, led by program director Gena Robinson.
While cheering for football during the season, Robinson emphasized the program’s main focus coupled with its subsequent routine of preparation, which includes participation in several local competitions.
“Our goal is to reach the nationals at the ESPN Center at Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando,” Robinson said. “Our 109 cheerleaders are divided into five teams and practice three days per week, two hours each day, twice at our field and one day at the Storm Allstars Gym in Brandon.”
On its quest for a chance to compete in Orlando, the Rams Cheer squads first sported their talent during the Best of the Bay tourney, which hosted 70 teams at the USF Sundone in Tampa, winning three first-place and two second-place titles.
The girls then went on to participate in the Gulf Coast Cheer Classic that saw more than 100 teams competing at the Lakeland Center late last month, winning four first-place, one third-place and one grand champion title.
The program also took part in its divisional Cheer Jam, competing against the teams the programs play during the football season
“All of our squads placed first,” Robinson proudly said, adding that the result moves the program to Pop Warner SE Regional at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, one step closer to the nationals in Orlando. “We are very excited and looking forward to sharing great results with our community.”
For more information, please visit www.valricorams.org, or call 992-5278.
