Salute to the champions: Rocky Point cheer team - Newsday

April 04, 2019 at 07:15AM

A collective sigh of relief could be heard all around Long Island after the state cheerleading championships on March 2.

Well, mostly from the Rocky Point section.

The Eagles brought home the top prize in Small School Division I from  the tournament in Rochester.

Rocky Point High School performs its routine during the Suffolk County Cheerleading Championships, Saturday, February 16, 2019 at Centereach High School. Photo Credit: George A. Faella

For the team, the coaches and the community, it was about time.

"Finally," coach Anna Spallina laughed. "We went into the competition hopeful but with careful expectations. Athletically, our team meets all the grading rubric checklists, but it always depends on the judges."

Why the trepidations?

The Eagles haven't had the best run at the state competition. Two years ago, according to Spallina, they performed a tight routine in the preliminaries, which resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd but the boot from the judges.

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"We nailed our routine and bought lunch because we thought we'd be moving on to the next round," Spallina said. "We were sent packing before the finals and we were so disappointed. The crowd clapped for us. People from upstate were asking us how did this happen? The crowd reaction was validating for the girls but still disappointing."

Spallina said the squad had two options, give up or rev it up. The girls choose the latter. Last season, the Eagles went undefeated in the county. Suffolk forgoed the state championship that same season, hoping the absence would prompt the state to alter the scoring rubric to be fair to all New York sections.

Changes were made but Spallina and the squad still were cautious. The Eagles went undefeated again this year, performing their cleanest routine in program history and earning them the highest scores in Suffolk. They won counties and earned a ticket upstate.

Finally, their hard work ended with a state win.

"It's a tradition," Spallina said. "In 2012, we graduated some strong seniors and I remember thinking 'How am I going to recover?' but somehow, some way everyone who comes up makes it happen. Everyone understands the expectations and the demand of this program. They know the bar is set high and I hope every year we come back stronger than ever."

A collective sigh of relief could be heard all around Long Island after the state cheerleading championships on March 2.

Well, mostly from the Rocky Point section.

The Eagles brought home the top prize in Small School Division I from  the tournament in Rochester.

Rocky Point High School performs its routine during the Suffolk County Cheerleading Championships, Saturday, February 16, 2019 at Centereach High School. Photo Credit: George A. Faella

For the team, the coaches and the community, it was about time.

"Finally," coach Anna Spallina laughed. "We went into the competition hopeful but with careful expectations. Athletically, our team meets all the grading rubric checklists, but it always depends on the judges."

Why the trepidations?

The Eagles haven't had the best run at the state competition. Two years ago, according to Spallina, they performed a tight routine in the preliminaries, which resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd but the boot from the judges.

Enter your email address to subscribe to High School Sports newsletter

By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.

"We nailed our routine and bought lunch because we thought we'd be moving on to the next round," Spallina said. "We were sent packing before the finals and we were so disappointed. The crowd clapped for us. People from upstate were asking us how did this happen? The crowd reaction was validating for the girls but still disappointing."

Spallina said the squad had two options, give up or rev it up. The girls choose the latter. Last season, the Eagles went undefeated in the county. Suffolk forgoed the state championship that same season, hoping the absence would prompt the state to alter the scoring rubric to be fair to all New York sections.

Changes were made but Spallina and the squad still were cautious. The Eagles went undefeated again this year, performing their cleanest routine in program history and earning them the highest scores in Suffolk. They won counties and earned a ticket upstate.

Finally, their hard work ended with a state win.

"It's a tradition," Spallina said. "In 2012, we graduated some strong seniors and I remember thinking 'How am I going to recover?' but somehow, some way everyone who comes up makes it happen. Everyone understands the expectations and the demand of this program. They know the bar is set high and I hope every year we come back stronger than ever."

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