PR Cheer Team goes to Nationals: Hear about an athlete's experience

By Taylor Servagno, staff writer for The Rampage

On February 5th the PR Cheer Team headed to Orlando, Florida for Nationals. They spent 6 days but Wednesday and Monday were travel days. 

I've asked Izzy Banjak some questions about her time in Florida and here's what she had to say. Her least favorite part about the whole trip was the traveling part, because of getting little sleep. Her favorite part was getting closer to her cheer team. She feels that going to Nationals and hanging out with her whole team you get closer. Also in her condo which was Coronado Springs, she rooms with three other people, and they get really close in that time. Her roommates were Harlo Miller, Danica Tuner, and Ellie Dishart.

There are 18 people on her team, and they competed for the first time in the medium gameday D1division. They competed one day and went to the parks the rest of the days. Before they go on to compete Izzy hugs certain people and she also has things written on the bottom of her cheer shoes. This wasn't Izzy's first time competing, she went the year before too. She's a base and tumbles but there isn't a lot of tumbling in a game day routine.

The coaches that went to nationals with the team are Morgan Rutan, Alyssia Mazzanit, Nina Hindman and there was also a middle school competition coach that joined them named Cameron Fazio. Since they were in Orlando they went to Disney World. The parks that they went to were Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot, and went to Holiday Studios twice which was Izzy's favorite. While they were in Holiday Studios they met people from Colorado in the line of Tower of Terror and they got 3rd place in the small gameday division. They also met people from Mississippi and met their whole team because they stayed in the same condo.

A part that Izzy enjoyed was having a break from the cold weather and being able to be somewhere warm. The PR Cheer had a great time in Nationals and hope to go again next year.

See this and more student content from The Rampage at https://prhs.pinerichland.org/athletics-activities/activities-and-clubs/rampage.