FHS Cheer Team Celebrates National Championship

Writer / Nicole Sipe
Photography provided by FHS Cheer Team


Danielle Thompson knew that there was something exceptional about this year’s varsity cheerleaders.

“This team is special,” says Thompson, who coaches the Fishers High School varsity cheer team with Jenn Hall. “We knew from the moment tryouts concluded that they were going to achieve big goals this season.”

Big goals is an understatement. The Fishers High School cheer team is now national champions, winning a national title in their division at the Universal Cheerleaders Association high school competition in Orlando, Florida, on February 11. This is the first national title for Indiana in Large Division 1 cheerleading. The team competed against 800 other cheer teams from around the country to earn it.

“We are so proud to represent our state and our school,” Hall says. “There is no better feeling than knowing that because we worked hard day after day, and showed determination and resiliency no matter the circumstance, that we earned the title of a national champion.”

Last year, the Fishers High School cheer team placed seventh in the same competition.

“I get chills every time I think about it,” says FHS junior Maddie Costes, reliving the moment when they found out they won. Teammate and sophomore Sophia Kuzniewski agrees. “I feel like all of our hard work has finally paid off. This is a moment I want to relive all over again,” she says.

The team worked for 10 months leading up to the event, practicing at least three times a week and during breaks.

“Our team gives up both their fall and winter break to train for competition,” Thompson says. “We are beyond excited that all of the hard work and sacrifices landed this team with a national championship.”

The cheer team’s hard work and united efforts helped them to achieve this major accomplishment. Senior Haley Crippin describes her team as trustworthy, hard-working and driven.

“We look to each other like family,” Crippin says.

“Teamwork is so important in cheer,” Hall adds. “As coaches, we trust this team, and they trust each other. That is huge both on and off the mat. Our team feeds off positivity, high energy and communication. That comes from all of our supporters and each and every one of us on the team.”

“The dedication and hard work they show in and outside of practice is remarkable,” Thompson adds. “We have had a few curve balls thrown at us this season, and I could not be more proud of the way this team preserved. They never gave up, continued to trust their coaching staff and each other and did their job. That is what makes me most proud of this team.”

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