| NJ SPORTS TRAINING |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
CONGRATULATIONS VARSITY!!!
Cheer squad wins contest
Home News Tribune Online 04/30/07
WOODBRIDGE — THE ST. JAMES Varsity Cheerleaders won the grand champion prize in the Beast of the East Cheer Tech competition in Wildwood, on April 15.
The squad won in the grammar school division, where they competed against five other schools. The varsity squad had been competing since late January and won seven first place trophies and three grand champion titles.
The squad, coached by Laura Haag and Shelly Murphy, consisted of Sara Bekesy, Danielle Gruskiewicz, Allison Heimbuch, Dannah Laguitan, Michele Miller, Kathryn Murphy, Erin O'Connor, Michele Racioppi, Rebecca Sorokac, and Dana Trombetta
|
|
From the Catholic Spirit, September 9, 2004 by staff writer Chris Donahue
Local cheerleading coach honored by students
For someone who has never shaken a pom-pom or done a backflip in a high school gym packed with fans, St. James School cheerleading coach Laura Haag sure seems to have a lot of pep.
For the eighth consecutive year, Haag will volunteer in the Woodbridge school, even though her two daughters, former cheerleaders themselves, have long since graduated.
To show their appreciation for Haag's years of service, cheerleaders from the past and present gathered at the end of the school's annual three day cheerleading summer camp, Aug. 27. to present her with a plaque.
The plaque was also given in honor of Haag being named a Recognition Award winner by the New Jersey Cheerleading Coaches Association. The award from the association was one of five given statewide to outstanding cheerleading and dance coaches at a banquet in Carteret May 22.
Haag, a member of St. James Parish, Woodbridge, said the award was her first as a coach and a surprise as well.
"When they (coaches association) called, I said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I think you have the wrong number,'" Haag said with a laugh.
Haag's daughter Nicole, 22, is now a supervisor for the Port Authority in Newark, while her daughter Kristie, 19, attends Middlesex County College, Edison, where she is studying to be an elementary school teacher. But Haag, who is helped by assistant coach Mary Beth Mackintosh, said she still has plenty of "daughters" in St. James School to teach cheerleading, dance and more.
Haag's husband, Robert, is also a graduate of St. James School.
"I just love it. St. James is my home," Haag said. "It's a great feeling when the kids come back to you (after they graduate). At first, (cheerleading) is a little tough for them. What we expect of them is pretty high, but they always come back and thank you."
Haag's teams have finished second in state competition for the past three years. But she also organizes visits by the team to senior citizen homes, where they bring cookies and sing to the residents, or have them save their allowances to shop for a needy child at Christmas.
"I try to show them there's more than being a cheerleader." she said.
Chuck Ciniello, athletic director at St. James School, said his daughter, Lisa, now a sophomore in John F. Kennedy Memorial High School, Iselin, cheered for two years with Haag as her coach.
"It's not just about cheerleading. She develops young girls into ladies. She leads by example." Ciniello said.
"It's about committment and discipline," Haag said. "I always tell them, 'School comes first.'"
The cheerleaders' season begins with performances in Woodbridge's annual Street Fair, Sept.18, followed by boys varsity basketball in December. Competitions for the St. James School cheerleaders include the New Jersey state championships and on held in Hershey, Pa. A summer camp is held each year.
Haag, 44, a supervisor for Pathmark in Woodbridge, said she and her husband, also 44, will really have something to cheer about together Nov. 10 - their 25th wedding anniversary.
|
|
CONGRATULATIONS MRS. HAAG - 2004 NJCCA COACHES RECOGNITION AWARD RECIPIENT
|
"A good cheerleader is not measured by the height of her jumps but by the span of her spirit." ~Author Unknown
History of the Spirit Stick
It began at an National Cheerleading Association (NCA) Cheer camp back in 1954 where one team stood out among the rest. It wasn't for their talents, rather for their attitudes. They couldn't keep up with the others. They weren't coordinated or technically skilled. But they were the backbone of the camp; they were always the first to arrive in the morning to class and the last to leave, they were always cheering everyone else on, they always had the best attitude and they worked great as a team.
What they symbolized was far more than any display of technical skill or talent. They represented the pure essence at the very core of cheerleading; they stood for spirit in every sense of the word. However, their spirited performance wasn't the kind the NCA scoring process recognized with a ribbon of excellence, a praise every other team would receive.
Yet it was this team's vibrant, positive energy that bolstered the camp, a creed Lawerence "Herkie" Herkimer wanted to instill in the NCA. Knowing he couldn't just up and change the scoring and award process, "Herkie" was in a quandary. He quickly needed something to acknowledge the impact the team had on the others. In expressing his desire to the other instructors, "Herkie" spontaneously reached for a twig off a tree and declared it the official "Spirit Stick". He knew that as awesome as the team was, they wouldn't care if they were handed a simple stick.
Though the Spirit Stick has evolved into a plastic tube that is decorated by each individual who receives it, it is still given for the same reasons:
Attitude, Commitment, Dedication and Sportsmanship
|
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE VARSITY CHEERLEADERS!!! 3RD PLACE AT STATES!!! OUR GIRLS TRAVELLED TO TRENTON TO PERFORM IN THE BIGGEST TOURNAMENT OF THE YEAR. OUR YOUNG TEAM COMPETED AGAINST SOME VERY SEASONED TEAMS WITH FULL TEAM BACK TUCKS. THEIR SCORESHEET REFLECTED RANKINGS IN THE INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED CATEGORIES. OUR GIRLS WERE ON FIRE. THE COMPLIMENTS RECEIVED ABOUT YOUR PERFORMANCE WERE UNBELIEVEABLE. WE ARE PROUD OF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THIS SEASON. YOU HAVE ALL COME A LONG WAY! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GIRLS!!!
|
CONGRATULATIONS VARSITY!!!
Cheer squad wins contest
Home News Tribune Online 04/30/07
WOODBRIDGE — THE ST. JAMES Varsity Cheerleaders won the grand champion prize in the Beast of the East Cheer Tech competition in Wildwood, on April 15.
The squad won in the grammar school division, where they competed against five other schools. The varsity squad had been competing since late January and won seven first place trophies and three grand champion titles.
The squad, coached by Laura Haag and Shelly Murphy, consisted of Sara Bekesy, Danielle Gruskiewicz, Allison Heimbuch, Dannah Laguitan, Michele Miller, Kathryn Murphy, Erin O'Connor, Michele Racioppi, Rebecca Sorokac, and Dana Trombetta
|
|
|
