Local Cheerleaders who participate in Competition Cheer with the EC Cats out of Greenville NC took part in the Encore 2-day cheer championships in Richmond Virginia and came home winners!

Local Team members Toni Darden, Jalen Pearson, and Mallaury Pageau all compete on a level 3 Coed team named the “Fierce Cats”, the Fierce Cats came in 1st place at the Encore Championships in Richmond Virginia, a 2-day cheerleading competition. This Team has had a great season so far AND scoring zero deductions at EVERY competition they have competed in!!!

“Coming in 1st in front of large amazing gyms like Fame and Powerhouse feels great” states Toni Darden who has been cheering competitively for 10 years “I love watching great Cheerleading no matter what gym the team is out of and we have been competing and winning against some very talented teams”. Mallaury Pageau, Jalen Pearson, and Toni Darden are all Roanoke Rapids residents and travel together as teammates and friends to Greenville twice a week for practice.

Toni Darden and Jalen Pearson also compete on the EC Cats level 5 coed restricted team “The Jags” which brought home 3rd place at the Encore Championships. Once you get to level 5 there are no “bad” teams, there are just teams that do better that day and a 3rd place finish behind amazing gyms like CEA is a great accomplishment, especially for a small gym.

This team will be headed to the invitation only Summit competition in Florida late April. With only the top 10% of the best teams in the US going it is going to be a competition to remember for these girls, “Attending Summit has been a dream of mine for years and I feel so blessed to be going this year” states Jalen Pearson, “dreams really do come true with hard work and persistence”.

Taylor Gross and Jenna Gross, local sister competitive cheerleaders who also cheers at EC Cats on the “wildcats” team placed 4th in their division While Emily Clay and the “Lions” placed 6th in their division. “SO proud of all three of my teams today” states Coach Stephanie Lynch. One team had an athlete compete with the stomach virus, another had a replacement fill in, & the third had to change their routine right before warm-up and all of the HIT a great routine, overcoming obstacles as a team is a great skill to have” These teams have come so far and overcome a hard weekend, we are very proud of all of our cheerleaders!!!