Squad gives OBHS plenty to cheer about Cheerleaders win top honors at seven winter competitions MIGUEL JUAREZ staff The Old Bridge High School cheerleaders go through one of their routines that helped them take first place in their division at the New Jersey Cheer and Dance Coaches Association State Championships in Trenton. OLD BRIDGE - Starting a season off with high expectations is one thing; ending it with a slew of first-place trophies is quite another. The Old Bridge High School cheerleaders did just that, finishing the season with seven first-place awards as a team, including a national championship, a national grand championship and a state championship. Working in the team's favor this year was the fact that its seniors have been on the team for all four years, and they've been part of teams that have won national titles before. But one never knows what to expect in a new season. "No matter how well you do in practice, you never really know until you compete," noted Assistant Coach John Diaczyszyn, whose wife, Diane, is head coach. But starting the season off with a grand championship win was an obvious plus. The grand championship award is given to the best team at a given competition, regardless of size. During that Elite Cheer Championship Series "New Years Classic 2007" in Toms River, the team won its division and scored higher than teams that had as many as 35 members. After two more first-place wins, in Old Bridge and at Monsignor Donovan in Toms River, the team faced a challenge. Competing at David Brearly High School in Kenilworth, the team would have to battle back from an injury at Monsignor Donovan, working in a new member of the squad. Old Bridge took second as a team, while its stunt group took first and tumblers were first and second. Although their performance was not as strong as they liked, the girls believed that they were back on the right track," Diaczyszyn said. The following week was the team's first opportunity to claim a national title. And that they did, at Spirit Unlimited's "Battle at the Boardwalk - Crowning of National Champions," Old Bridge was awarded a national championship in its division and narrowly missed being grand champions. Two weeks later in Ocean City, Md., the team had an exceptional performance while competing among more than 1,500 cheerleaders, or about 75 teams, at the American Cheer and Dance Academy's "Reach the Beach National Championships." Teams competed in sizes from as low as 12 members to as high as 35. Old Bridge won its division, and also managed to achieve the highest score of all the teams that competed, making them national grand champions. A week later, the squad ended its season March 4 at the New Jersey Cheer and Dance Coaches Association's state championships in Trenton, where Old Bridge placed first in the "All Music" division. Diaczyszyn described the group as "very talented" and one that worked hard to achieve such a list of accomplishments this season. He noted that the team, which must cover all expenses except for the uniforms and warm-up suits provided by the school district, had a special fanbase among their parents, other students and the community. "The team is very proud of the following they had," Diaczyszyn said. "It was always special to see people supporting them whenever they performed. They always had fans, even at Ocean City, Md." The team comprises captains Lauren Petrovski and Amanda Siecinski, and members Diana DeFeo, Ashley DeLuccia, Kim Emslie, Samantha Gilbert, Alicia Goldberg, Brittany Hegarty, Alexia Konko, Megan Morris, Bhumi Patel, Sylvia Pilawa, Victoria Precopio and Kaitlyn Simone.