Cheerleading contests provide some of the stiffest competition in high school sports. In fact, cheerleading has become so competitive that special schools for cheerleading and gymnastics have opened in the southern part of New Jersey and in Bergen County.
Now Union City has opened a cheerleading school for Hudson County girls. Moves By Merri, which opened since March 15, held an open house and ribbon cutting on April 21. The school is located on the fifth floor of 540 39th St., behind the Hess Station.
Meredith Henriquez, who has been cheerleading since she was 3 years old and coaching the Saint Augustine’s Catholic Youth Organization’s (CYO) three traveling teams for the past 18 years, opened the school with her mother Florence Morrell, who has been working with the CYO team for 40 years.
“There isn’t [such a school] in Hudson County,” said Henriquez last week. “There is one in Bergen County and a lot down south. We wanted to open one up in Hudson County. We are pretty much doing this for the children of Hudson County.”
Henriquez has been hired by many schools in New Jersey, including New Milford and Lyndhurst high schools, to choreograph their squads’ routines.
Saint Augustine’s CYO, based in Union City, has three traveling teams, split by division. The Junior Prep is for girls in kindergarten through third grade, the Junior team is for fourth to ninth graders and the Senior team is for sixth through twelfth graders.
The three teams had a total of 65 girls last year. Any girl who enrolls for classes at Moves By Merri has the opportunity to try out for the CYO team.
Competing nationally
The girls travel throughout New Jersey for competitions from January through March. The Junior and Senior teams then compete in a national competition at William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Va.
“We have won eight national championships,” said Morrell, adding that the Junior Prep team won the national competition in Madison Square Garden last year.
“We would bring the [Junior Prep team] to Virginia with us,” said Morrell. “But there just isn’t a division for them.”
However, with the addition of the school, the teams, which are already known in New Jersey for superior stunting and choreography, will soon be able to compete in gymnastics as well.
Morrell said that the teams traveled to Tennessee and Florida to compete, but were unable to touch their gymnastics skills.
“They are very big on gymnastics in Florida and Tennessee,” said Morrell. “We couldn’t compete with them there. That is one of the reasons we pushed to open this school.”
Although the girls practice all year round, they just didn’t have enough space to master gymnastics skills.
“We only had two little mats at St Augustine’s [church],” said Morrell. “Now we will have the space.”
The school is offering two three-day summer camps. The camps will teach cheerleading fundamental classes, partner stunts and dance classes and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Classes offered at the school include Cheerleading Floor Gymnastics, Cheerleading Fundamentals, Hip Hop Dance, and aerobics. The camps have a $20 registration fee and a $50 tuition for each student. A $25 registration fee is charged for all classes. The cost of each class ranges from $20 to $70 per week.
The classes are open to any youngster who registers, regardless of school or town.
Sign-ups for the St. Augustine’s cheerleading teams will be held May 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the church on New York Avenue and 39th Street.
For more information on registration for classes or try-outs, call 866-1463 or 232-7517.