Paloma Valley pom, cheer teams dominate at nationals

Paloma Valley's Pom Team won the national championship.

By Miley Lundstrum, Paloma Valley Student Journalist

Paloma Valley’s Varsity Cheer and Pom teams made Wildcat history when they qualified for the Day 2 finals at the Varsity U.S.A. competition last month.

During an intense three-day competition in Orange County, the teams competed against many different schools, working diligently to rise to the ranks. Varsity Cheer ended up placing in the third spot in the nation, and Varsity Pom became the national champions.

These athletes worked tirelessly, putting their best work into these routines. Despite setbacks such as injury and changes to the choreography, they pushed through courageously and impressed the judges with their work ethic and award-winning smiles. The team received their choreography in September 2023 and worked weekly on their own time to perfect and critique their routine. Their practices were long, and the work was extremely hard, but their blood, sweat, and tears ultimately paid off in the end.

“Our athletes worked super hard this entire season, and I am so proud of the performances they gave at nationals!” says the team’s Coach Nunnally, “Watching them win and seeing all their hard work pay off made all the hard practices and long days worth it.”

Despite facing top-tier teams from all around the United States, these Wildcats shone through and broke records previously unheard of in the Perris School District. Two outstanding athletes, Cami Cregger and Kevin Cisneros, even competed on all three varsity teams. With 13 seniors in total out of 45 cheerleaders, they did their best to make their last competition one to remember.

“Winning was the best part of my senior year, and we worked super hard,” Presley Alexanian, a senior member of the Pom team, admits. “To see it come out with a win made everything pay off.”

This season was a huge victory for the Paloma Valley Pep squad, and their hard work has made their school extremely proud.

“I’ve had many of these athletes all three years I have coached at Paloma,” adds Coach Nunnally, “and saying goodbye to the seniors will be extremely tough this year. We become a family on this team, and while I know they are going to do great things in the future, I wish they could stay longer.”

Paloma Valley's cheer team placed third nationally.