Everybody describes success differently. While one person says that it’s defined by the number of victories, their neighbor might chart success by growth. LM’s cheerleading team checks both of those boxes. On November 16, 2025, LM’s varsity cheer team won first place in their division at the Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) Regional competition in Trenton, New Jersey. With the dominant victory, the Aces earned their ticket to the National Cheerleading Championship for the second year in a row. This is an obvious demonstration of their winning trend and proof of their growth. Just two years ago, LM’s cheer program routinely came in last during competitions. They have completed a rapid turnaround, and now the Aces are a true success story. These athletes give their all with each cheer, routine, performance, and competition. 

LM cheerleaders face a unique obstacle: time. Specifically, the duration of the season. Cheer goes through four distinct phases of their season, beginning in the summer and continuing through the winter. The team starts their hard work during the summer preseason, running practices in the wrestling room and repeating cheers out on Arnold Field. At the end of August, the team heads off to UCA Camp, an overnight cheerleading camp, for four days. According to Mrs. Kannengieszer, one of the team’s coaches, this is where the true bonding begins. Her athletes work hard at their sport alongside their teammates in a fun environment, emerging out the other end with newly acquired skills, and more importantly, a sense of trust. When flipping through the air or leaping high, it’s critical that the athlete trusts her teammates to catch her. Each performance feels increasingly seamless and joyful the more trusting the athletes are in each other. Destiny-Dream Jackson ’28 agrees with this assessment of team culture. As she explains, “I feel like the team is really connected; personally, I don’t feel tense or negative towards any of my teammates. We praise each other when we accomplish things such as difficult stunts, choreography, or jumps. We talk and express our feelings to each other to improve and help each other improve.” And with each improvement, the Aces moved closer towards their ultimate goal. 

As summer gradually shifts into fall and the beginning of school, LM Cheer concentrates on the football season and supporting the Aces. They consistently show out, voices strong and encouraging throughout the most difficult losses, and full of enthusiasm and pride during the exhilarating victories. Always a highlight, Senior Day for the cheerleading team took place on the last football game of the season, an away finale against Radnor High School. The Aces took home a victory, but as the football season ends, the cheer season continues. 

The traditional winter sports season is an extra-busy time for LM cheerleaders. Their role as cheerleaders for the Aces basketball teams begins, along with the competition season. The LM cheer team competes in two divisions at cheer competitions. Game day, their first event, simulates a real football game. Cheerleaders demonstrate their band chant, defense cheer, crowd-leading skills, and fight song. Some members of the team additionally participate in a traditional competition with more difficult jumps, stunts, and choreography. When it was time to perform these events, the Aces did not disappoint. On November 9, LM Cheer competed at Westchester East High School and won first place in both the Varsity Intermediate Non-Tumbling (NT) and Co-ed Game Day NT divisions. Starting off strong, the Aces didn’t take their foot off the gas. A few days later, the team earned a berth in the UCA National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida, after finishing first place in their division at Regionals. In December, during their following competition at Haverford High School, LM again won first place in the Co-ed Game Day NT and second place in the Intermediate competition. The constant high performance is a testament to the effort each member of the team pours into each routine. 

Such commitment should lead to great rewards, and for our LM cheerleaders, it has. They didn’t just win the regional crown; they earned it. Before the arrival of a new coaching staff two years ago, the cheer program did not see results or attract many athletes. With only eight people on the team, it was difficult to consistently perform at the level that competitions demanded. Cheerleading is very competitive within the Central League, with almost half of the schools having placed at Nationals in recent years. Despite how difficult competitions were, LM continued to show up and give it their all, displaying an extraordinary amount of persistence. It takes strength to perform in front of others, to continue striving for excellence even when you continuously fall short of your goals. That strength didn’t ebb out of the program upon the addition of Kannengieszer and coach Jalyne Poles. Rather, it was harnessed towards external fulfillment and achievements. Today, the current squad has nineteen members, each contributing to the repeat title. Each helped LM’s team, battled for the team, and eventually defeated every challenge. As Jackson recalls, “It took a lot to win. Constant practicing for hours, unbearable stress before performances. But as long as the right mindset is there and you’re in your element during the performance, it’s possible! We all know the stakes and manage to deliver.”

The national competition lasts from February 4-8, but no team is guaranteed performances for the whole time. Eliminations take place each day, a crushing end to any eager team’s season. The LM cheer team made it last year but was met with that heartbreak after falling short on the first day. This year, the Aces faced Nationals with some experience. Improvement is the goal LM’s athletes sought in Florida.

While facing some of the toughest competition in the nation, the Aces gave their performances their all. Harnessing all of their experience and focus, each cheerleader approached the National Cheerleading Championship with a sense of calm determination. LM’s team was eliminated from the competition after the first round, but exited with their heads held high and emerged with memories that will endure. Talia Dezzi ’27 described how, “The trip is most definitely a bonding experience you’ll never forget!” This season was nothing short of a complete success, and should be remembered as such, regardless of how it ended. 

LM Cheer has provided all of us with energy. It’s our turn to become the people cheering, rooting, and believing in our cheerleaders just as they do for each of us. After all, encouraging one part of our community to shine will illuminate the whole.