Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay honor to the winners of the National High School Cheerleading Championship sponsored by the Universal Cheerleaders Association–the Victoria High School Varsity Cheerleaders from Victoria, Texas. Under the able leadership of Denise Neel and Terese Reese, the squad of teens took the title for 1999 following an impressive history of second place in 1998, and third place in 1997. Each year, the cheerleaders set their mark higher, worked harder, trained longer, and kept their eyes on their goal. Their training and perseverance paid off when they brought the national trophy home to their school.

The cheerleaders competed against a field of 74 squads in the Medium Varsity Division to reach the national trials. There, they competed against the thirteen regional finalists, coming out on top. The VHS cheerleading team is the first Texas squad to ever win the National Championship.

In addition to their cheerleading duties which include cheering at every sporting event held by their school and a rigorous practice schedule, each of these girls must maintain a grade of at least 80 in each class. They also participate in numerous community activities, such as the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the March of Dimes Walk America. Additionally, they worked with the elementary and middle schools during TAAS testing and Red Ribbon Week, and the Gulf Bend Mental Health-Mental Retardation during Friendship Fest.

This group of students deserve the honor they have earned. I commend each one of them:

Liz Lasater and Kendra Serold–Co-Head Cheerleaders

Natalie Cole

Leah Green

Melissa Myers

Laurie Beck

Lindy Burns

Amy Reimann

Amber Clemmons

Sara Dickson

Courtney Horecka

Haley Kolle

Amanda Rodriquez

Karla Sterne

Melissa Keefe

Chelsie Luhn

Sara Carville

I am proud to have these national champions in the 14th Congressional District of Texas, and trust all my colleagues join me in congratulating them on this impressive achievement.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 1999 at 3:14 am and is filed under Speeches and Statements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.