Norwood Cheerleading

It’s been at least five years since the Norwood Cheerleading squad has ventured into the National Cheerleading Tournament, but the Mustangs were scheduled to fly down to Orlando, FL at press time to take part in the tournament at Walt Disney World.
Norwood is primarily a football cheerleading squad. The company graces the sideline of the football field 11 times a season to cheer on the Norwood players. In addition to the football games, the squad also participates in seven tournaments. Of the seven tournaments, four are invitationals and the squad faced some tough competition.
“We had a rough start to the season,” first year head Coach Crystal Salisbury said. “Last year we were a co-ed team and this year we changed to a Division 2 girl’s team. Our performances were ok, but we were up against more talented groups.”
While the Norwood team was not able to grab any first place finishes, the new coach thought that the girls were working extremely hard and their performances were getting better as the season went on. The squad learned what was working and what wasn’t and built upon those experiences.
As the post-season began, Norwood was hoping to put their ‘average performances’ aside and perform at the level they knew they were capable of. At the Bay State League Championships, the Mustangs finished a respectable fourth, but it was at the Regional Tournament that really floored the squad. Norwood was unsuccessful at earning a berth in the State Tournament by losing by 1/10 of a point, but the very next day they found out that they were going to get the chance to represent their school in the States.
“It was a roller coaster ride, the Norwood Coach said. "These girls acted in a professional manner; they were disappointed at not qualifying but handled it well. However, when I got the call the next day that we were given an at-large bid I had to text all the girls immediately and they were enlightened and quickly their perspective changed.”
Less than 24 hours earlier they thought that they were eliminated by 1/10 of a point and then find out they received the top at-large bid and were now going to the State Tournament with an 11 point cushion. Salisbury and her squad knew that there was no time to waste and they had to get back to work. Norwood took what was given to them and was able to finish 6 out of 14 teams in the State Tournament; showing what a difference one week makes.
The sixth place finish earned the Mustangs their first appearance in the National Cheerleading Tournament. As soon as the girls got back to Norwood, the States were behind them and they began working on their routine for their performance in Orlando.
“Our goal was to go out and perform a clean two and a half minute routine using very specific elements in all aspects of cheering,” Salisbury said. “Every girl contributes a huge contribution to the routine. It is imperative that everyone be there and does their part. We have two individuals who are not fully healthy, but they’re going to give it their all.”
If the Mustangs go out and perform their routine with precision, they are hoping to return from their southern trip with some new hardware to display at the high school.