Bear Necessities Volume 25

This past week, I had the pleasure of supporting our Cheer team as they competed at JAMZ Nationals in Las Vegas. The team entered two divisions: Friday Night Lights Game Day and Non-Tumbling Show Cheer. National competitions are exciting, stressful, chaotic, and incredibly rewarding, and for nearly half of our athletes it was their first time performing on the big stage at Nationals.

At our first practice, I asked the team to keep two things in mind as they stepped onto the mat: confidence and conviction. Each day followed a steady rhythm of morning practice, study hall, and some downtime before evening performances. Along the way, the team also made time to bond over meals and take a few photos at the iconic Las Vegas sign.

On Thursday night, all 22 athletes took the mat with incredible energy and intensity as they wowed the crowd with their Friday Night Lights routine. They saved their best performance for last, earning their highest score of the season with a 96.1. Later that evening, we gathered for the awards ceremony and were incredibly proud to hear our name called for 3rd place. The team delivered a fantastic routine and returned home with a new banner and medals  the highest Nationals placement since I have been at Mercy.

The following two days felt a bit like Groundhog Day with morning practices, study hall, and family time before evening performances. Each time they took the mat, the team continued to push themselves by adding difficulty. After their Day 1 performance, they increased the level of difficulty again, which was reflected in their final score of a 91.4.

With the season officially coming to a close, it is important to recognize just how far this program has come not only this year, but over the past several years. The routines and skills the team performed this weekend were far more advanced than anything we have done in recent seasons. That growth speaks to the dedication of the athletes, especially our senior captains Jonaya Nabong-Craig '26 and Ella Bautista '26, who have been part of the program all four years. Their confidence, conviction, and courage were on full display all weekend, and I could not be prouder of this team.