Heon proud of Northmen’s 2nd-place finish
NORTH SMITHFIELD — According to coach Alicia Heon, her North Smithfield High squad gained some sweet payback after placing second overall in the Small Schools Division at the Inteerscholastic League Competitive Cheer Championships on Saturday.
In front of a sizable crowd inside the Johnson & Wales University gymnasium in Providence, the Northmen assembled a stellar routine to earn 159.10 points and finish not far behind team champion Tiverton (165.90). They also posted a far-better score than third-place St. Raphael Academy (151.80), not to mention Narragansett (149.20) and Burrillville (129.60).
“Technically, the girls were amazing, and we were so pleased,” noted Heon, who is ably assisted by 2015 NSHS grad and former competitive Valerie Orellana. “They were terrific in terms of what other people had seen them do in the past.
“There also has been a battle among some of the students and my kids at school; some would tell them cheerleading isn’t a real sport, that it’s more of an activity,” she added. “But my girls were more than ready to make some history for our school. I think they felt they had to defend themselves to some of the non-believers at school; they wanted a little revenge, and they got it.”
To be honest, Heon and Orellana didn’t know what to expect from their contingent at the state meet, as its collective performance at the R.I. Competitive Cheer Coaches Association Championships at Mount St. Charles Academy the previous Wednesday had been … well, “iffy” at best.
“We placed third there, and I didn’t think we did very well,” Heon confessed. “The girls thought they did quite well, but I knew they could perform better, put together a more crisp routine. Val and I told them afterward, ‘Yeah, it was OK, but you’re capable of so much better.
“When I watched them Saturday, it was an amazing feeling,” she continued. “My first thought was, ‘Our hard work paid off.’ When they announced us as the state champions, it was an indescribable feeling. We made the town and the school so proud by the performance.
“I think the key was our kids, especially the seniors, knew it would be their last routine, and they wanted to go out with a bang. They motivated each other to leave it all on the mat, and did they ever! They’ve been working so hard since June for that moment, so everyone was elated.”
At the state championships, the Northmen performed a two-minute, 30-second routine of stunts, jumps, tumbles, dance moves, pyramids and the like to assorted musical selections – and nailed virtually all of them.
Heon indicated that she began conducting practices last June, and they consisted of three two-hour sessions on weekdays with a three-hour marathon on Saturdays.
“You’d figure it would be hard to get them to make that kind of commitment, but it wasn’t difficult at all to coach these girls; they considered themselves family, a sisterhood, much more than they did a year ago.
“Another thing that actually helped: In February, one of the girls went to Florida with her family during Winter Vacation, so we took a little break. I was a little worried how it would affect us, but it turrned out to be a blessing; the girls got the opportunity to rest their muscles and they came back fresh.
“They got stronger as a result.”
Last winter, the Northmen and MSC competed as a coop program, but Heon and NS officials decided to go it alone this time around.
“You know what’s funny? Right now as we speak (at about 2:15 p.m., Monday), Val and I have girls texting us, ‘When’s practice?’” she laughed. “They know we won’t have them anymore, but that shows you how much they want to be with each other.
“We qualified for the New England meet (slated for Saturday at Worcester State University), but we won’t be going because we have a few girls who will be attending the R.I. Music Festival as members of our school chorus on the same day. It wouldn’t be safe for the other 10 girls to learn a new routine in just a few days.
“I have to tell you, the team chemistry is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” she added. “They support each other through and through, on and off the mat. The girls have sleepovers, go out to eat together, ask each other for rides. They’re inseparable.”
Call that the definition of “true team.”
Members of the Northmen state runner-ups include senior co-captains Brittany Beaudoin and Alexis Thompson; senior Morgan Perry; junior Gillian Pepin; sophomores Olivia Cimerol, Shawnna Forget, Payton Gudas and Eliana Jagiello; and freshmen Cassidy Boutelle, Amelia Jackson, Briana Robidoux, Devon Thompson and Cassidy Grieves.