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02/05/2017 11:00 PMThe North Haven cheerleading team has been one of Connecticut’s best for many years, but this year, the Indians entered unchartered territory while competing against some unfamiliar foes in a different division. Although the landscape was different, the results of last week’s SCC Championship reinforced why Head Coach Kathleen Crisafi’s squad is known for putting on primetime performances, especially when the postseason rolls around.
After competing in the All-Girl Division for several seasons, North Haven became a co-ed team this winter when senior Michael Ricci was promoted to the varsity ranks, joining captains Jordyn Aurora and Shelby Wuchek, as well as fellow senior. Jordan Vaccaro. Now, the Indians are competing in the Co-ed Division at this year’s meets, the most recent of which was the SCC Championship at Shelton High School on Feb. 4.
Going up against two clubs that have more experience on the co-ed circuit, North Haven outscored both of them to take home its second conference title and first in the Co-ed Division. North Haven posted a score of 81.35 at the SCC meet to defeat runner-up Branford (79.7) and two-time defending champion Hand (75.3).
“It was great. It was really exciting. Co-ed is a whole new world for us. We all went into this blind, but they wanted to make a name for themselves in the Co-ed Division,” Coach Crisafi said. “We knew we had a chance. We knew we had a great routine. We knew it would just be a matter of what team had the better day. We told the girls at practice the day before, ‘You can come in first or you can come in last. It’s completely up to you.’”
The Indians ultimately came in first by performing a two-and-a-half minute routine that Coach Crisafi said was their best of the season. Crisafi felt North Haven did an excellent job of partner stunting, which is when groups of four or less form a pyramid. The two bases hold the flyer in the air while the back-spot stabilizes the formation from the back. Crisafi said the Indians had been having some difficulty with their partner stunting in recent weeks, but when they executed them cleanly early in their SCC routine, it set the tone for a championship performance.
“They were so psyched to hit those and then everything else snowballed and they performed wonderfully,” she said. “When they overcome that little obstacle, it just made them realize that they could handle it and then the rest of it fell into place.”
As technically sound as her team’s routine was, Coach Crisafi added that Indians also did an excellent job of selling it to the judges with the enthusiasm they exuded on the mat.
“They are clearly a performance team. Every judging sheet has comments and they always say that we have so much energy and are a fun team to watch,” said Crisafi. “We tell them all the time that the skill and technique are baking the cake, but you have to have the frosting, and the frosting on the cake is to sell it and they had that. They had energy, they were smiling, they invited people to watch them, and that made the difference to put us just above the other two teams.”
There were 15 athletes who performed for North Haven at the SCC Championship. In addition to seniors Aurora, Wuchek, Vaccaro, and Ricci, the Indians’ routine also featured juniors Morgan Sullivan, Samantha Konspore, and Josephine Toni; sophomores Renee Myjak, Abby Haggerty, Sarina Sandwell, Kelly Gallagher, and Jill Rowland; plus freshmen Sophie Kornacki, Alyssa Cannavaciolo, and Alexa Cappella. Aurora, Sullivan, and Konspore garnered All-SCC honors for North Haven.
Senior captain Wuchek talked about how much it meant for North Haven to win the SCC co-ed title in the team’s first season competing in that division.
“It’s an amazing feeling. We’ve been working hard on our routine and there were a couple of bumps in the road, but this makes all of our hard work pay off,” said Wuchek. “I think for us it gave us solidification that we are where we’re supposed to be. That we’re a force to be reckoned with—not just a newcomer. We have a lot to figure out and it’s a learning experience, but it really just solidifies everything we’ve worked for. It’s a different ballgame and it really feels good to have everything pay off.”
North Haven’s next postseason meet is the Co-ed State Championship that takes place at Floyd Little Athletic Center on Friday, March 3. Coach Crisafi said her squad has “all the tools present to win,” and senior captain Aurora feels confident that the Indians can claim some more gold if they continue progressing throughout the next month.
“Honestly, no one has the ring on their finger. It’s still fair game for any team,” Aurora said. “As long as we keep improving each week, we’ll have a good chance to take home a ring at the end of the season.”
• Kathleen Crisafi founded the cheerleading program at North Haven High School and this marks her 35th season as the team’s head coach.
• The Indians’ assistant coaches are Melissa Thomas, Jason Burroughs, and Kayla Crisafi, the latter who’s Kathleen Crisafi’s daughter and a program alum.
• The Indians’ other SCC title came in 2011, when they also won the Class L state championship.
• Last year, North Haven finished third and second, respectively, in the All-Girl Division at the SCC and Class L State championships.