Being a cheerleader causes guts, dedication, and teamwork, something that is very hard to find within a squad as a whole. With only about a two or three month break, the Greater Latrobe Varsity Cheerleaders work very hard all year for the upcoming football, basketball, and wrestling seasons. The seniors work extra hard to get picked as a captain. This year, the squad picked three seniors to lead the squad. Gianna Onorato was picked as Captain, and Tara Konecny and Kolony Miller as Co-Captains. The captains work extra hard to achieve the squad’s full potential.

“It was an overwhelming feeling being picked as captain. I knew I had to step up my leadership skills and become a team player,” said Onorato. “Being captain will make my senior year more memorable, especially with my best friends by my side.”

Each summer, the girls partake in a cheerleading camp hosted by the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA). They learn cheers, chants, stunts, and dances to perfect and take with them for that year’s season. On the second day of camp, the instructors handed the three captains a packet of information about the “Varsity Spirit Spectacular.” It was a chance to perform at Walt Disney World in a Christmas parade with other cheerleaders across the United States.

“When I received the paper’s for the Varsity Spirit Spectacular a sense of excitement came upon me. I couldn’t wait for the day to come. Not only was it a chance to show off my cheerleading ability, but it would be my first time at Disney World, and I get to experience it with my best friends,” said Konecny.

The girls will travel to Orlando in December to perform in the parade. They will get to be on “Team Minnie” with girls from Pennsylvania and other states.

Kylee Tkacs, a senior and cheer captain at Southmoreland Senior High School is also excited for the performance.

“I’m super excited that I get the opportunity to go and cheer at Disney World my senior year with some of my best friends,” said Tkacs, “Especially reuniting with my best friend Kolony Miller and getting to do what we love.”

To prepare for the parade, the girls would have to teach themselves the dance from an instructional video so that they know the material upon arrival, making the parade performance run smoother.

“Learning the dance from a little computer screen is difficult because I can’t really see the motions that well and I learn best from someone beside me teaching me step-by-step.” Onorato replied.

With the trip being pretty expensive, the girls created a GoFundMe account to hopefully raise some money and cut the expenses down.

“We created the GoFundMe account not just to help raise money for our trip, but to share with family and friends that we were chosen for this awesome experience.” shared Konecny.
“The girls are working very hard to perfect the dance and look the best they can. I am so excited to experience this with my girls. Being my first year as assistant coach, this opportunity is once in a lifetime,” said assistant coach and Language Arts tutor Sam Pletcher. The girls will be representing Greater Latrobe at the “Happiest Place On Earth.”