Sachem Cheer Coaches React to National Title

Last week the Sachem North varsity cheerleading squad came home victorious after having won a UCA National Championship in Orlando.

Coaches Christine Sturges and Nicole Roggemann, both Sachem alums, took over the program this year and despite a leadership change, were able to bring Sachem to its best finish in school history.

The journey began in December when the girls qualified for regionals and worked their way through various tournaments before competing on the largest stage in Florida.

Once they arrived in Orlando, they immediately started on a positive note, scoring so high in the preliminary round that they received a bye straight to the finals, where they were one of the top 13 teams left standing.

Then came the final moments where the judges announced the scores of the top teams, counting down from No. 13 to No. 1. Once Sachem got past third place, it had already improved on its marks from the previous two seasons.

“The anticipation of sitting in circle, everyone went up, jumped and screamed and cried out of excitement,” said Sturges. “The crowd started chanting S-A-C-H-E-M, Sachem North!”

For both coaches, aside from winning, the most important thing they want their team to take away from the 2011-12 season are the lessons learned and the friendships made.

“This year has been an amazing experience,” Sturges said. “These kids have taught us lessons that Nicole and I will keep forever. We hope every coach gets the experience we had like this.”

Roggemann said one thing they pushed from the beginning of the season was not starting with a “win it all” mentality.

“You have to go in and fight and make it your best performance,” she said. “You have to walk out into every competition feeling like you already won. That was the basis and start of our season. It was scary walking into a team that has accomplished so much. We tried to mesh both styles. Over the months the girls began to trust us more and more. They knew they had a belief in how to get from point A to point B.”