Press Release - Kissimmee, Florida

There has never been a National Championship won at any level here in the small town of Norton. Known for its’ small-town charm, Norton has now been placed on the map for a National Championship. The 12U Lady Junior Lancers entered this season as defending New England Champions and came in 2nd place and the second-best squad in the country at the 2019 AYC National Championships, that’s where this squad decided that their goal was to never hear any other squad’s name above their own in any competition.

Head Coach and NYFC Cheer Coordinator Stephanie Langton knew that second place was the first opportunity that this squad had to improve for 2020. Then the country and the world came to a standstill. “It was a time to be together at home and to take care of each other and then I was getting videos of these girls working on their tumbling in their backyards and bedrooms… I knew that whenever we would get back on those mats that these young ladies would be ready.”

It started with the Framingham Invitational where they came in 1st place. Then followed by the Eastern Massachusetts Locals, Massachusetts State Championships, and the New England Regional Championships… champions in all of them. The 12U Squad headed to the National Championships winning every championship leading up to it and Coach Langton knew that their sights were on the National Championship. “These ladies knew what it took to get all the way to the National Championships, and they also knew what it felt like to finish just shy of a title… I could tell that they really wanted it.”

After Saturday’s performance where they also had zero deductions, they entered Championship Sunday with a slim .66-point lead. The 12U Level Two Large Division was the closest division in all the AYC Championships as from first to fifth were separated by less than two points. That means that there was zero room for error on Championship Sunday and an ultimate match up between Toms River, NJ with a population of over 92,000 against Norton with less than 20,000. It was an underdog story that could be sold to Hollywood producers. After their final zero deduction performance on Sunday, it was award time. All the names were called except Norton and Toms River, Coach Langton said of the anticipation “It was a combination of excitement, pride and nerves all rolled into one. If they finished in second, I couldn’t have been prouder as they gave myself, our coaches, our town so much to be proud of and then we heard Toms River in Second Place.” The Norton 12U Lady Junior Lancers become the first team to win a National Championship. They become the first squad to sweep through and win every competition to a National Title. History was theirs for the taking and when they reached for it, they came out with a championship trophy.

The 12U Norton Lady Junior Lancers New England Champion Cheer Squad is made up of… Madison Applebee, Destiny Bolton, Caitlin Bennett, Madelyne Black, Emilee Cabral, Lauren Chancey, Janiyah Crowe, Allison Durning, Victoria Durning, Julianna Freeman, Jamie Harlow, Amanda Ingersoll, Arianna Josephs, Meghan Kearsley, Reilly Kelleher *Elite All Star, Kyla Langton, Gabby Rodriguez, Cailyn Rosa, Alexandria Sroka, Addison Wilbur The Coaching Staff is Head Coach Stephanie Langton and Assistant Coaches Caitlin Spector, Holli Fitzgerald, Allison Chancey, Kelly Kelleher & Melissa Cabral