February 2016
Amanda Warshaw
Amanda is a great role model, and leader by example. She has earned the title of captain this past season due to her organization, creativity, and desire to unify the girls on the team. Amanda is a veteran winter cheerleader and worked to help teach fundamentals to our first year cheerleaders. Technique wise, her skills as a flyer continue to progress, and she is currently our lead stunter. Amanda has a positive attitude and demonstrates genuine compassion and respect to all the girls on the team.
January 2016
Miranda Cerquiera
Miranda is this January's Athlete of the Month. Just recently named captain, Miranda has been a leader by example and taken significant leadership of the winter cheer program. Miranda is a strong base, has tight motions and organized the USA Veteran's materials when the cheer team acknowledged them at a recent boys basketball Varsity game. Miranda is a selfless leader, not interested in gaining any recognition but instead acting to benefit all through her knowledge of motions, cheers and stunts.
December 2015
Melanie DeCanio
Melanie DeCanio is a winter cheerleader that takes charge calling cheers, shows intitiative at practice, remains positive and enthusiastic about accomplishing new chanllenges and has an excellent attendance record. This year Melanie has worked as a mentor for the new girls who are cheering for the first time at the high school level. She is always ready to work hard. Melanie's smile is contagious and her positive attitude makes cheerleading enjoyable for everyone.
October 2015
Samantha Nardi
Samantha Nardi is Varsity's October Athlete of the Month. Samantha Nardi is a phenomenal tumbler, flyer and base. She juggles a highly esteemed GPA and is one of the program's most skilled flyers and tumbler. Sam is also a competitive cheerleader at Star Athletics. Sam has gone above and beyond for her team, velcroing the banner, typing up cheer and stunt lists, and frequently initiates team bonding activities. While the foreign language department had 30 Italian students here visiting Ridge, it was Sam who put the words to the cheer together and thought of cheering in Italian. It was also Sam who created the agenda for our 2 PEC clinics, as we provided the opportunity to host special practice sessions to teach material later presented at the home game on October 23rd. Samantha is an invaluable cheerleader who plays several crucial parts in making Varsity Cheer at Ridge so organized and extraordinary.
September 2015
Annie Chabak
Annie Chabak, senior on the Varsity Cheer team is September's Athlete of the Month. Her strength as a base is admirable and her leadership and dependability far surpasses the typical commitment necessary for a Varsity member. Recently, Annie has showed great compassion for her peers in need, and has taken responsibility to fix the banner the football players run through at the start of the game. Annie embodies true character, commitment and stewardship.
September 2014
Alana Carolan
Alana Carolan is the September athlete of the month for Varsity Cheerleading. She consistently displays an above and beyond commitment to the team, physical prowess, and competitive skills in stunting, dancing and tumbling. Alana is a strong senior leader on the team, supplying her teammates with counts to dances and stunts. The team is lucky to have Alana's strength, resilience and leadership skills out on the Friday night lights.
February 2014
Stephanie Riddiford
Stephanie Riddiford is on the winter cheerleading team. She has worked hard this season to exhibit her skill, strength, and flexibility. She has also shown versatility as a base and a flyer. Stephanie is encouraging to her teammates, an excellent role model, and a hard worker. We are happy to have her as a staple piece on the winter cheer team.
December 2013
Gaby Baum
Gaby Baum has been an invaluable member of the Cheer Program for four years. Individually, she is a versatile cheerleader, thinking of how she can benefit the whole of the team. Athletically, she has exhibited skills in backspotting, tumbling and on the competition teams. Personally, she is an assertive, problem solver and creatively, her knowledge and skill in designing graphic arts which were placed in booklets, emails, on the school store, and on tshirts sold by Touchdown Club functions have helped our program become more well rounded. Gaby has earned December's Athlete of the Month because like a role model for all cheerleaders, she is a shining individual, committed and invested in making her Varsity team the best it can be.
October 2013
Lyra Dautaj
Lyra, a senior flyer is an asset to the Varsity team. Her contributions in community service, fundraising for cheer, her versatility as a flyer, and her guidance in making each performance look the best it can be all make her such an important fixture to the Varsity team. Lyra's competitive attitude is something that all cheerleaders should emulate as she often strives to be the best, like any cheerleader should in a routine. Her competitive nature, advanced skill as a flyer and impressive stretch positions, as well as high expectations of her team are much appreciated this year.
September 2013
Madison Hogan
Madison is a senior athlete on the Varsity Cheerleading team.
She is a strong base, possesses a positive attitude, is involved in every stunt and pyramid and is an overall positive role model for the entire cheer program.
She takes initiative helping with procedures for practice, is always punctual and prepared, and never hesitates to lend a helping hand.
Aside from her commendable character, she is a pleasure to have on the team and leads by example.
Colby Sycoff
"Colby is a seasoned and experienced cheerleader who is completely committed to making her team the best it can be. She creates dances for the team, offers advice when possible, has stellar dance and tumbling ability, illustrates the perfect example of stunt versatility as a base but shines as a flyer, and is an overall team player who makes cheerleading fun, competitive and sets a high standard for all that follows. As a third year Varsity member, she has placed Skyland All Conference for 2 consecutive years now. Colby is a senior leader on the team and in the program. "
Meredith Buzin
"Meredith Buzin, October’s Athlete of the Month is a Senior on this year's 2011 Varsity Fall Cheer Team. Meredith is one of the team’s main resources when it comes to remembering material, counts, or stunting techniques. Meredith’s nickname is “detective” because she remembers and observes everything. It is invaluable to have such an active mind on such a detail oriented team. Mer has shown commitment to her team by juggling student teaching and practice, and even rescheduling college trips to be present at team functions, practices and games. She is a qualified, dedicated, and enthusiastic individual who makes all things fun for the team and for her peers. "
Sara Zuccalmaglio
"Sara Zuccalmaglio is a Senior member of the Varsity team. She has experience in tumbling, basing, back spotting, is a student coach, and is also a competitive cheerleader on the RHS Competition Team. Among these achievements, she has organized our community service event for the past two years: a Food Collection for 3 weekends with contents donated to the Somerset County Food Bank. Especially after Irene, this service was invaluable to others’. As a senior on Varsity, Sara is one of the hardest workers and best role models for our current team now and for future cheerleaders on Varsity."
Allie Raia
"Allie Raia is one of the most athletic cheerleaders on the Varsity team. Her impressive ability to stunt in 2 positions as a base and flyer shows her strength, confidence and versatility. She has a passion for both competition and game squad and has been excellent at balancing both of these variations of cheerleading during the fall and winter seasons. Allie has also had an excellent attendance record and is usually the first to arrive and last to leave. Her dedication to cheerleading is incredible and as a sophomore she has impressive talent already and potential to keep improving in the coming years. "
January 2011
Mackenize Marcus
"Mackenzie Marcus is a Varsity cheerleader who understands the true spirit of having fun, being the best you can and doing what needs to be done to get the best performance out that day. She is a devoted athlete and committed teammate who has near perfect attendance, has a positive outlook on all challenges and has improved in many positions as she switches between the role of stunting as both a base and flyer. She is creative, wise, can take direction well and provides helpful and constructive feedback to those around her to make any situation, conflict, or game time prep better."
No Athlete
October 2010
Sara Zuccalmaglio
"Sara Zuccalmaglio is an incredibly dedicated Varsity athlete. She has shown great strength in stunting while she can show her versatility and talent in both a base and back spot position. She is by far a power stunter. Aside from her cheer, dance, and tumbling experience she is a seasoned game and competition squad cheerleader who even coaches one of the teams in the youth program for Ridge. Sara was the brain for the MSG Ridge vs Lata food drive which cheerleading used as their main community service event. Her spirit and commitment go beyond on the Varsity cheer team."
Ally Darwick
"Ally is a Varsity athlete who has always been a role model to emulate for her peers, teammates and friends. She radiates positivity and is a hard worker without complaint. Her perfect attendance signifies her desire to contribute to the team in any way she can and her leadership as a mentor to younger girls provides unity to the program. Ally is an asset to the Fall 2010 season as she is a talented dancer, cheerleader and stunter."
Heather Grimaldi
"Heather Grimaldi is a very talented sophomore who has improved immensely over the past two years being involved with RHS cheer. Heather has incredible basket tosses and has really grown as a flyer. Her commitment goes beyond participating on the game teams as she is a Ridge comp. cheerleader, student coach, tumbler, and all the while has an excellent attendance record. Her attitude and skill are both great assets she bring the team and her teammates as she approaches her third season on the Varsity team next fall of 2010."
Cristiana Wilson
"Cristiana is a strong and compassionate leader of the 2010 winter Cheerleading season. As she has just recently been honored as one of the current captains of her cheer squad, she has helped lead the team in an organized and productive manner. Her skills as a flyer have vastly improved since last year and she has almost conquered many of the challenges she has set out to accomplish. Her personal and team goals will continue to drive her forward as one of the captains of the upcoming Fall 2010 cheerleading season."
Sam Spirra
"Sam is a vivacious and spirited athlete who makes hard work appear easy by shedding her positivity and humor on to her teammates. While she has been a committed member of the RHS cheer team for all four years, she has always risen and exceeded any task or challenge on the team that has been handed to her. Sam is the kind of teammate that all the girls look up to and know they can rely on for guidance and suggestions because she is a true team player."
November 2009
No Athlete
Kara Mackey
"A senior athlete who brings years of expertise to the RHS Varsity cheerleading squad. Kara recently received one of the highest honors after trying out for Skyland All Conference Team 1, and was one of the few who made it in the area. Her ability to execute motions, jumps and stunts adds to her tumbling experience as she is absolutely an athletic role model for the rest of the cheerleading organization."
Nikki Engstrom
"Nikki is a pleasure to work with, as her spunk and positive attitude enhances her unbelievable work ethic and skill level. She is continuously working to improve her tumbling, stunting and jumping ability and her efforts thus far in the season are not only commendable, but acknowledged as she is September's Athlete of the Month."
