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After months of dedication and hard work, the Burlington Pop Warner Patriots cheerleaders are heading to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they will compete in Nationals on Thursday, December 11. 

With 44 cheerleaders in total, the E team (the Mighty Mites) and the D team (the Junior Pee Wee team), earned bids to the national competition and are getting ready to step up on the mat and give it their all. 

Kristyn Corrigan, the Director of Social Media and Marketing for Burlington Pop Warner, said this is her second year being on the Board of Directors. It’s her fourth year being involved in the Pop Warner program; her daughter, who began competing in kindergarten, is heading to Nationals with the Mighty Mite team.

Corrigan said for these teams, their road to Nationals started in July. The athletes and coaches have been dedicating six hours a week to practice and perfect their routines since the summertime, in order to prepare for different competitions along the way. 

“First, there was a competition at Woburn High School,” said Corrigan. “That was an invitational competition where the girls really perfected their routines and performed quite well. Then there was the Northeast Pop Warner qualifying competition, which was at Methuen High School, and this was the competition where the teams qualified for the regional competition in Springfield.”

There, at the New England Regionals, both the Mighty Mites and the Pee Wee team earned a place at nationals with respective third- and first-place finishes.

Corrigan said with the helping hands of volunteers, Burlington Pop Warner has been able to create a supportive environment for all of the young athletes. The coaching staff is entirely volunteer-based, from head coaches to junior coaches, who are in high school and help out at different practices. Corrigan said throughout the season they “really foster confidence in the girls” and “push them to compete and to achieve” which has made their team bond even stronger over time. 

As the competition date inches closer and closer, Corrigan said the girls are excited and motivated to give it their all. “Their ability to focus and their dedication has been fantastic,” she said.

Corrigan also emphasized the team's appreciation for the continued support from the Burlington community throughout the season. “I can't say enough about the people that have shown up and contributed when the girls have been raising funds," Corrigan said. "The girls have sold cookies, they've done raffles, and the community has really been supportive. Every post we've made, we've gotten likes and notes of support, and that just means so much to the girls to know that their town is behind them and proud of them.”

This is the first time in program history that the Mighty Mite team is heading to Nationals, said Corrigan, and regardless of the outcome, she hopes the girls are proud of their accomplishments and the history they are making for the organization. She hopes they can step off the mat knowing that “hard work truly does pay off” and also admire “what they can accomplish together” as a team. 

For more Burlington Pop Warner Updates and their journey to Nationals, keep up with their Instagram @bpwcheer, and their Facebook page at Burlington Pop Warner Cheer.

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