After a six-year hiatus, the Shaler Area Varsity Competition cheerleading team finally returns to the competition floor this 2025-2026 season.
Ever since Shaler’s competition cheerleading team was established, it was a solid team that competed and won many titles on the local, state and national level.
In 2015 and 2017, the competition team won the WPIAL championship and then won the PIAA title in 2018.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, the team was not able to get in the gym and work, which led to a decline in the team which ultimately led to the team not competing.
“We have not had a competitive team since COVID because it has taken several years to build up the skills necessary to be the competitive team that Shaler has always been proud of. Many schools go into competition just to compete, but when we go into competition, we go to win,” Coach Phyllis Schatz said.
The Titans have been putting in the work behind the scenes ready to come back
and uphold the tradition that the teams of the past have set for them.
This new team has been together for the past few years with many members having all-star (competitive) cheer experience, putting the Titans in a good place.
“I feel like preparing for All Star is a little more intense and definitely more demanding, but I’ve also never had to be loud in an All Star routine. It’s definitely going to be hard trying to keep our voices up while executing a routine,” junior Alexa Clokey said.
Even with the majority of the team having all-star experience, nobody on the team has the high school competition experience, making this a new thing for everyone. The entire team will be going into the competition knowing everyone has the same level of experience.
“I’m really excited to compete with all of my friends. I’m a little nervous, but we’ll do good if we all work together,” senior Ava Romanchak said.
The Titans’ season started off with tryouts, flowing into summer practices, summer camps, to after school practices. The team has been practicing since the end of the last school year from a few days a week after tryouts to now most days after school. Fans can find the Titans cheering at school sports events and some community events, as well as competitions again, which take place throughout the duration of the school year.
The Shaler Area Cheerleaders do not get an “off season” like the majority of sports do; they always have something taking place, especially now training as a competition team.
The competition team roster consists of the majority of the varsity sideline athletes. Both teams work similar skills, but the competition team has been working extra hard to take their skill to the next level.
This team has been focused on perfecting every skill judged on the scoresheet. The simple movement of the way they walk in the routine needs to be up to par, all while engaging with the crowd.
“I think it’s important to emphasize the amount of time that goes into the program, both sideline cheering as well as competitive cheerleading. Our team practices year round. During the school year, we practice four days a week as well as cheering on sports teams, “ Coach Schatz said.
Coach Schatz and Coach Rebecca Troppman have been coaching together for years, leading their teams to success. The team is ecstatic to be back on the mat to prove to everybody who they are.
“We are able to instill that national pride back into our program and allow the girls to excel both on a state and national level,” Coach Schatz said.
The competition team is doing all it can in order to succeed, and the girls feel they are more than ready for what this year brings.
The 2025-2026 team will be competing for the first time on October 12 at Ambridge High School for the Battle At The Bridge Competition, followed by local competitions including the South Hills Showdown, Butler Cheer Classic, UPJ Cheer and Dance Classic, leading into the WPIAL Championship and possibly the PIAA State Championship if the Titans secure a bid after WPIALS.
“I feel pretty prepared, as long as we go into competition and give it our all, then the work we have put in will come out,” said Clokey. “We’ve been working really hard on trying to make our stunts and tumbling timing look good. I feel when that all comes together we will be back and better than ever before.”
