Gilroy
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If cheerleading was easier, it would be called football,
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reads an e-mail quote that cheer coach Inga Alonzo lives by.
Gilroy – “If cheerleading was easier, it would be called football,” reads an e-mail quote that cheer coach Inga Alonzo lives by. With this attitude it’s no wonder the Gilroy Browns Pee Wee cheer team finished in ninth place in the Pop Warner National Cheer And Dance Championship in Florida. In December, the squad took home a ninth-place national trophy for the first time in Gilroy history after competing with 18 other teams in the Pee Wee division.
“Gilroy has never had a team at nationals,” Alonzo said. She pointed out that Morgan Hill had two teams make it to nationals, and Hollister had three.
“(Gilroy) was always stuck in the background of Hollister and Morgan Hill.,” Alonzo said. “Our program is more focused on the football side of it.”
Pop Warner Little Scholars, Inc., is the largest national youth football and cheerleading organization in the United States with more than 400,000 participants. The purpose of the organization is to enable children to benefit from participation in team sports and activities in a safe and structured environment. The participation of parents and coaches is all voluntary and they rely heavily on the public for their financial support.
The effort to send the squad to Florida to compete in the nationals required volunteer work from the parents of the girls.
“As the team mom, I headed up all the fundraising, and kept tabs on everyone’s volunteer hours,” said Debbie Fernandez.
Parents were required to put in 10 volunteer hours per child throughout the season, which contributed to the success of the squad.
The coaches pushed the girls to do their best and the girls responded with the right attitude.
Hayley Fernandez, a cheerleader on the squad,, stays inspired because of one of her mentors.
“My mom has a friend who was a cheerleader for the Raiders, and it makes me think that I can be like her,” said Hayley. But her sister Kayla said that most of her inspiration comes from Alonzo’s style of coaching.
“She pushes you to do stuff, makes you do the same thing over and over again until you get it right,” said Kayla.
For both sisters, the experience helped them gain confidence and foster more determination to stay fit and make it to the nationals again.
“I went up on stage at the nationals, and now I’m not so embarrassed to get up in front of a crowd,” said Kayla who stood before thousands of parents and cheerleaders in Florida.
“It gives me more confidence and makes me think that I’m better and stronger in gymnastics too,” said Hayley.
While Fernandez’s daughters gather confidence, they are also staying in good physical shape which is a relief.
“With the lack of P.E. in the elementary school, my girls got so much stronger and physically fit,” said Fernandez who is also looking forward to making it to the nationals next season.
