Bronx Cheerleading Squad Seeks Help In Getting To National Championship

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Some Bronx middle schoolers who want to bring their cheerleading savvy to a big national competition are strong on talent but a little short on funds. NY1's Roger Clark filed the following report.

A Bronx cheerleading squad is kicking into high gear as it prepares for a national championship, but the girls need a little help getting there.

The team from M.S. 127 in Castle Hill earned its first-ever bid to the Cheer Limited National Cheerleading Competition in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. If they go, they would be the only middle school team from the city competing.

"It's a once in a lifetime thing. We have never been there before," said cheerleader Jasmine Davis.

"We're representing the Bronx so we want to show them what we can do," said cheerleader Vianca Gonzalez.

To make the trip, the squad has organized several different fundraisers and has even gotten some help from local businesses. However, it is still about $5,000 short of the $16,000 it needs to attend the competition. The plan is to leave on Thursday.

"We've been doing a lot of fundraising: bake sales, pail shakes, candy sales, chocolate sales, everything possible," said coach Nicole Barbieri. "We've been doing good, and each day the number changes, because each day more and more donors sponsor money, send in money, so it's definitely getting better."

"It's going to be a great experience for them, an experience that they'll remember for the rest of their lives,” said M.S. 127 Assistant Principal Bryant Jackson. “And also it encourages them to want to do more."

Cheerleaders cheer on sports teams, but the girls and the coach insist that cheerleading itself is a sport. They want to take on the best the nation has to offer and show them how it's done.

"I always wanted to be in those big competitions, I always watch those movies, 'Bring It On.' I just love the excitement of it, the crowd," said cheerleader Kayla Ferraro.

"Some of them will never get this chance again, you know. Some of them have never been out of the Bronx, so I have to get them there," said Barbieri.

To help donate, send a check or money order to:

M.S. 127 Cheerleaders
1560 Purdy Street
Bronx, NY 10462