The Berlin Game Day Cheerleading team travelled to face 36 high schools at their annual national competition in Orlando, Florida in the first week of February.
After months of preparation, from July 2025 to February, Game Day cheer aimed to pass through all three rounds at nationals: prelims, semifinals, and finals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.
The bears got to work with their practices on February fifth after they all arrived in Florida. Justin Lehman, the Berlin Cheer coach, had high hopes for this competition as the Bears tied for sixth in the nation during the previous 2025 season.
“You guys really do have a chance, I wouldn’t just say that,” Lehman said. “I know the judges will be picky with things they want us to fix, but if we apply their corrections, we will be rewarded.”
As the team went into the rounds, emotions consisted of a combination of nervousness and excitement. With only one competition lost throughout the whole season, the bears were hungry for the win as they fought throughout the season at each competition along the way to nationals.
Mary Cate McCloskey, is a senior on the Berlin cheerleading team who has done Game Day since she was a freshman.
“We definitely have improved a lot more since last year, we are very sharp now with our motions and the team is more bonded as a whole,” McCloskey ‘26 said.
The cheerleaders competed in the first round, prelims, at 5:38 p.m. They received a raw score of 90.4 with only a half point deduction. The awards ceremony took place at 9:15, and the girls made it on to semi-finals.
The following day, the team competed at 7:51p.m., and left the mat believing that was their best routine yet. Later that day, it was announced that the Bears could move on to finals. From their score to the highest score of the day, everything was within less than two points. The girls were overjoyed with happiness knowing that no matter what they ended up placing, they could say they made it to the final round.
As the final competition approached, the bears channeled motivation and energy from all they had gone through to get to that moment. The cheerleaders took the mat at 10:42 in the morning with smiles, exclaims, and confidence, putting all their energy into their last performance in Orlando.
Alivia Cook, a senior on the cheer team, contributed to the team pep talks before they took the stage, and proved what it means to be a leader.
“Our time is now! We are within 1 point from the win. Give it your all, get in the crowd’s face, and be sharp. Don’t hold back,” Alivia Cook ‘26 said.
When the Bears finished the competition, they received no deductions and many seniors cried happy tears. They had accomplished so much throughout the season with the perk of state and Grand Champion titles to their name.
The girls went to the finals ceremony at two in the afternoon and lined up with 11 other teams along the stage. As the judges announced from last to first, the girls were so happy to hear that they did better than their previous year when they still had not been announced after sixth place was called. The judges started to call out the top three, and announced Berlin as the bronze medal finalists.
As Game Day creates history, the team looks forward to improve each year. This season, their final score was a 90.1, a sixth of a point away from first place (90.7), and that will continue to motivate them in the future years. Their coach and choreographer, Justin and Malisa, were emotional; sad to lose this year’s seniors, but excited for what the next season will bring.
