By Leah Blewett

EAST HAVEN – Despite a season’s worth of injuries and near-misses at competitions, the Newtown High School cheerleading squad managed to place second overall at CIAC State Championships on Saturday, March 4 in East Haven.

The squad finished their season at States, following their disappointing sixth-place finish at the South-West Conference championships in January because of a safety violation, and a recent win at Sacred Heart University’s Annual Cheerleading Competition. State Championships, however, were certainly a big event for the squad.

“Going to States was an incredibly exciting experience,” said junior Helena Buonagurio. “The competition was a lot stronger than at Sacred Heart, and I think all of us felt it.”

Senior co-captain Carela Catigano agreed, “Going to SWC’s , I knew what our competition was – we have been cheering with those squads for years. But we really pulled together and showed the crowd our best performance ever.”

The squad placed second out of twelve teams in the co-ed category, immediately behind Wolcott High School, which has been the champion in this category since it was created in 1994. In third place was East Windsor High, a squad which has held the second-place slot in the co-ed category for every year but one – and now this one.

The NHS team has been preparing for States since mid-December, and over that time they have developed a few rituals which they feel help them to perform better. For instance, several team members cited the way they form a circle and shout “Rock Newts!” just before competing as a good luck charm.

Junior Kathy Bartek added that “well all I know is that we have to give Carela her seat (in the back of the bus on the way to the site) or we all know what happens . . .” referring to the disappointment of SWC’s.

But even without all the superstitions, the squad is delighted with their actual performance – and their placing.

“We had so much fun with it (this performance),” said sophomore Whitney Cross. “Everyone was expecting third place and when we didn’t get called for that one, everyone was disappointed. When we heard our name in second place, everyone went crazy. We wanted to get this far and we did it – it just goes to show that when you put your heart into it, you can do anything.”

The team has not had a season free from disappointment, however. A serious injury sidelined junior Jenna Kurek in early January, and chronic back problems kept another junior, Chrissy DeWeese, from attending SWC’s with the team. However, Chrissy was able to return for Sacred Heart and States. The team also suffered a 25-point penalty for a college level stunt that is illegal for high school squads when competing at SWC’s, putting them into a disappointing sixth place. Without the violation, they would have placed second.

But even with all these setbacks, the squad has persevered.

Said Buonagurio, “We rely on one another for safety in stunts and the amount of trust is extreme. We are a squad of fun, determined, winning men and women!”