Shaler competitive spirit teams overcomes setbacks to win state title

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, January 28, 2018 | 11:00 PM

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Tear it all down and rebuild.

After an injury to a key team member and having a pyramid formation collapse at the WPIAL championships, the Shaler competitive spirit team was searching for answers.

Senior Jenna Roman wanted to see the Titans complete the restructuring with a strong performance at the PIAA small division championships in Hershey.

“The biggest thing we had to change was our attitude,” Roman said. “We didn't have as much gym time as we needed. We hoped for the best, changed our attitude and put in the hard work to succeed at states.”

Whatever the Titans' solution was to their previous stumbles, they left a strong impression with the judges. Shaler captured the program's first state title by scoring a 92.27, edging Bethel Park by less than two points.

Titans coach Phyllis Schatz said she believed their routine at the state competition was fluid.

“This year, we've had a lot of obstacles to overcome,” Schatz said. “The thing that made the team flow together so well was our cheer is a crowd-oriented cheer, and that helped us out a lot. The pyramid had a lot of difficulty to it. It was exciting from the beginning until the end.”

Shaler kept its cool by focusing. Roman said the Titans weren't worried about watching other schools compete.

“When we hit on the floor, we all knew what place we were going to get,” Roman said. “We usually try to watch other teams. We try to focus on our own team.”

Shaler, which will compete in the medium division at nationals, finished outside of the top five of WPIALs after its pyramid mishap.

“That was the first time we competed after one of main fliers got injured,” Schatz said. “We had to redo everything.”

The Titans didn't feel prepared after having to switch things on the fly. What Shaler's athletes asked for was a little more guidance.

“After we had a couple setbacks, we asked our coaches to help us more,” Kaylee Franc said. “They helped a lot more and helped us become more as a team.”

The Titans also added nuances to the routine. More intricate moves helped lead to a higher score.

“We had to add in some more difficulty and change around stunts,” Haley Don said. “The stunts weren't as successful as we wanted them to be. We had to add in extra practice time to make sure the stunts hit.”

All the extra practice made the difference. What could have been a difficult rebuild ended with Shaler hoisting a trophy.

“From the beginning of the season, we hit a couple of rough patches,” Franc said. “Injuries set us back a lot. Then we started bonding. We got closer as a team.”

Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.

Tags: Shaler