‘Our city’s national champions’: George Washington cheer team feted by Philly
“You have won over the hearts of everyone in Philadelphia,” City Councilmember Helen Gym told the George Washington High cheer team.
It’s official: The plucky George Washington High cheerleaders “are truly our city’s national champions.”
City Council said so Thursday with a ceremonial resolution, honoring the first Philadelphia public school team to earn a spot in a national competition.
Coaches Michele Sorkin-Socki and Veronica Hayes, speaking to Council, said they were enormously proud of the team.
» READ MORE: History in the making
“This didn’t just happen overnight, rather it has taken years of hard work, dedication, persistence, tough choices, and many sleepless nights,” Sorkin-Socki said. “Through wins and losses, COVID struggles and successes, we are now here and prepared to embark on a truly significant and memorable experience.”
That is: Though the team had earned a berth to nationals, the $30,000 price tag was daunting for a Philadelphia public school squad with no budget to speak of and no well-funded booster club to foot the bill. But Inquirer readers chipped in more than $35,000 in just a few days after reading about the team, making the trip possible.
“It is an honor for us to be a representative of all the Philadelphia public schools,” said Irsida Kola, a senior co-captain. “We will make this city proud.”
» READ MORE: ‘Feels like a real-life movie’: Readers responded, and the George Washington cheerleaders are going to nationals
Imagine, Councilmember Helen Gym said, the trust it takes to be thrown six to eight feet in the air and know your colleagues will catch you. The team, she said, is special — and doubly so because the winners come from a neighborhood public school.
“You have won over the hearts of everyone in Philadelphia,” said Gym.
Each team member took home their own copy of a resolution that proclaimed them “a force to be reckoned with,” and said they have “demonstrated excellence and determination, even as they have dealt with outdated equipment and facilities and underfunded budgets. Their success is a testament to coaching prowess and stability and to the team’s investment in both trust-building and team-building in their pursuit of creativity and perfection against wealthier and better-resourced suburban and private school teams.”
The nationals-bound team members honored Thursday include: Kola, Amore Joseph, Aaliyah Armour, Addyson Givens, Nia Rodgers, Nylah Santiago, Kianna Harper, Roland Williams, Jayla Aye, Erica Pierre, Serena Diaz, Josiah Jeudy, Sarai Jeudy, Adamaris Lopez, Aniyah Saunders, Syniah Medina, and Simone Felder.