The streets of Farmingdale were a sea of green for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, but this year, the celebration held a double meaning.
As bagpipes filled the air, a special roar erupted from the crowd. Marching proudly through the heart of the village, draped in state championship medals, were the athletes of the Farmingdale High School Varsity Cheer team.
For these athletes, the parade wasn’t just a community tradition; it was the culmination of a journey years in the making. For three seasons, the Dalers had been “knocking on the door” of a state title, finishing third, then second, then second again. Each time, they came heartbreakingly close. This season, they refused to be turned away.
That determination showed early. The team secured their fourth consecutive Nassau County Championship on Feb. 14 with a staggering 94.9, the highest score recorded on Long Island this season.
They carried that momentum to the national stage in Orlando, Fla., where they placed 19th out of 115 teams in the DI Small division—marking the first time in program history that Farmingdale advanced to the final round of the National High School Cheerleading Championship.
But what ultimately pushed them from contenders to champions was a decision not to play it safe.
“We pushed the skill level every year,” said Coach Caitlin Beatrice. “The hardest routine, as far as difficulty and a number of skills were packed into the routine to help us produce the highest scores.”
That risk became their defining moment. As Farmingdale Superintendent of Schools Paul Defendini later said, “You didn’t just take a risk; you embraced the hardest routine in our school’s history… and when the pressure was at its highest, you leaned on each other and delivered a masterpiece.”
While the routine earned the title, the foundation for that moment had been built long before. The program’s success is rooted in a “chain” of excellence that aligns middle school, JV, and varsity expectations, ensuring athletes arrive already prepared for the demands of competition.
This year’s team also carried something deeper: a bond years in the making. The squad featured a core of ten seniors who have been the heartbeat of the program since their freshman year. including five-year varsity trailblazer Dakota Mauro, who became the first eighth grader ever elevated to the varsity team. Behind their success were years of unseen sacrifice—early mornings, long practices, missed vacations, and the unwavering support of families who became a team of their own.
That connection gave them the confidence to perform when it mattered most. They weren’t just competing for a title—they were competing for the younger versions of themselves, the ones who started years ago because they loved to fly and believed in something bigger.
Their dominance this season was recognized across the board at the Section VIII Cheerleading Awards Banquet:
● Coach of the year: Caitlin Beatrice
● Kean Award and Class A Backspot of the Year: Jasmin Lawrence
● All-county honors: Jasmin Lawrence, Kaylee Mendelson, Reese Gillen, Sadie Gillen (Class A Side Base of the Year), and Dakota Mauro.
● All-class honors: Juliana Shelley, Nancy Wolf, Sara Verdi, and Lyla Atlas.
● Special individual recognition: Ava Kropp (Scholar Athlete), Erin Finkel (Most Improved), and Olivia Giordano, Paige Bresnahan, and Julia Burzynski (Coaches Awards).
● Team Awards: The squad also secured the Scholar-Athlete Team Award, proving their dedication in the classroom matches their intensity on the mat.
In the end, their story is about more than a championship. It’s about resilience, trust, and the courage to take a risk when everything is on the line. And as they marched through Farmingdale, celebrated by the community that supported them every step of the way, one thing was clear: this wasn’t just a victory—it was the perfect ending to a redemption story years in the making.
