Article:
The small town of Groton, Connecticut has something to celebrate this month. The Fitch High School cheer squads mighty performance made up for their crumbled pyramid earlier in the season, winning the team their second state championship since 2005. It was a long road to get there, but Coach Melissa Robinson was proud of how her team handled themselves.
Robinson believes her philosophy of focusing on ‘holistic athletics’ was central to the team’s success. Mental preparation and understanding the difficulties of competing a 2.5 minute routine without timeouts or a scoreboard, was essential for the team to be ready for their big moment.
Of course, perfection does not come easy, but the team held true to the coach’s advice to show the curtains with a smile on your face, no matter the outcome. It was a lesson the team put to good use when their routine was coast-to-coast perfect in the state championships.
The team’s success did not stop there, a week later they finished second in New England, earning the team a wealth of recognition. The team: Gianna Butler, Nevaeha Salas, Tallulah Ghantous, Alani Farris, Tahjanae Knight, Sierra Knight, Jayla Robinson, Lauren Pelletier, Isabella Braucci, Alexis Johnson, Callie Balsley, Destinee Peña, and Kaylonna General, all earned a place in the FItch High history books and set an example of hard work and dedication, proving the strength of their holistic approach to the sport.
The success of the Fitch team is a great example of how the power of cheerleading should not be underestimated. While the GameDay viewers may not have been clamoring for more cheerleading content, that didn’t stop the Fitch High squad from taking the competition by storm. Even without a scoreboard, the talent and commitment of the Fitch High squad gave them a goal worth fighting for and their twelfth all-state athlete recognition a reward worth cherishing.
The success of this team demonstrates the importance of mental preparation and practice, something that any athlete can carry into their own sport, no matter the challenge. The Fitch High cheer squad should be applauded for their commitment and passion, rightly earning their place as the newest state champs.
Fitch High School and its cheer squad are an example to the rest of the sporting world. The commitment, dedication and resilience these athletes have demonstrated over the course of their season is inspiring. While they may have had one less-than-perfect performance early on, they managed to recover from it and use it as a learning tool to go on and win the state championship. The team should be applauded for their commitment and passion, for taking on such a challenge and succeeding.
In addition to the school itself, the coach and mentor Melissa Robinson is due a lot of acclaim for her work in helping the squad realize their potential. Robinson’s belief in the importance of team spirit, mental preparation, and dedication has been rewarded with success. The team can no doubt take away a lot of lessons from their victorious season, not least of all the importance of the individual contributions and effort of the Fitch High cheer squad as a whole.
