By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER Coach Chris Gilbert of Plainville threw her hands up in the air shouting for joy when her All-Star Junior Level 2 (J2) Team won first place during the Athletic Championship in Rhode Island. As the owner of Central Valley Panthers (CVP) Gym, Gilbert said she could not have felt more proud of the 12 girls (age 14 and under) who competed in one of the biggest championships in the Northeast. “I was just happy for the kids, parents and coaches,” said Gilbert, adding that the 2013-2014 cheerleading season took a rough patch with the loss of a large amount of members. “They worked so hard, and this was a huge accomplishment for our program.” On the first day of the competition, which took place Jan. 25, Gilbert said the team felt nervous but excited. Initially the team came in fourth place due to a 2.5 deduction resulting from both a fall and a major fall. The gym’s S2 Fury Team also competed in the championship, coming in second place without deductions on that first day. Despite these setbacks, Gilbert said she knew the J2 team had agood chance of winning due to the Raw score, [...]
By LISA CAPOBIANCO STAFF WRITER Coach Chris Gilbert of Plainville threw her hands up in the air shouting for joy when her All-Star Junior Level 2 (J2) Team won first place during the Athletic Championship in Rhode Island. As the owner of Central Valley Panthers (CVP) Gym, Gilbert said she could not have felt more proud of the 12 girls (age 14 and under) who competed in one of the biggest championships in the Northeast. “I was just happy for the kids, parents and coaches,” said Gilbert, adding that the 2013-2014 cheerleading season took a rough patch with the loss of a large amount of members. “They worked so hard, and this was a huge accomplishment for our program.” On the first day of the competition, which took place Jan. 25, Gilbert said the team felt nervous but excited. Initially the team came in fourth place due to a 2.5 deduction resulting from both a fall and a major fall. The gym’s S2 Fury Team also competed in the championship, coming in second place without deductions on that first day. Despite these setbacks, Gilbert said she knew the J2 team had agood chance of winning due to the Raw score, [...]