Last year, for the first time in Fox Chapel Area High School history, the Foxes cheerleading squad qualified for the United Cheerleading Association (UCA) National High School Cheerleading Championship. They traveled to Orlando in February, where hundreds of squads performed at the largest and most prestigious competition in the country.
Following the event, nine cheerleaders were named All-Americans – current seniors Fiona Brown, Mia Pietropaolo, and Sophia River; juniors Maurena Cilenti, Mary Ann Frauenholz, and Alexandra Vita; and sophomores Cate Conway, Trista Jackson, and Emma Kurtz.
For these returning cheerleaders, their coaches, and the newcomers to the squad – sophomore Lillian Fontenot and freshmen Ainsley Goode and Evie Rosen – their collective goal is the same: They want to be on the road again this coming February to compete once again.
Preparing for the upcoming fall and winter sports seasons, and various competitions throughout the year, took place all summer but started in earnest when the squad participated in a recent weeklong camp that ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.
“The first half of camp, the girls worked to learn new stunts and pyramids daily,” says head coach Aleta Balcer. “The last two days, they were taught the choreography for our new competition routine. They also learned a new cheer and dance that we can use during halftime at basketball games. We are really excited about putting it all together; now we just have to work on the details to perfect it.”
Senior captain Mia Pietropaolo and senior co-captains Sophia River and Fiona Brown will lead the 13-member squad for the 2023-2024 season. Mia believes the team’s cheering on the sidelines and stunting will be its strong points, although the past several years they have scored very high on their dance routines.
“We have more advanced stunting coming this year in competitions for all three stunt groups,” Mia says. “Already, I can see our strengths in stunting. This year, we are also having conditioning for each position, meaning the bases will do conditioning specifically for them. This goes for the flyers and back spots as well. We are excited to get stronger.”