Deer Valley coach Vicki Jones, along with assistant coaches Crystal Tuscano and Amy Coughanor, require their cheerleaders to have excellent attendance, good grades, as well as great attitude and time management skills to participate on the team. Training includes tumbling, gymnastics, and running for endurance. All of that sweat and aches for what? The payoff is to be the best, compete at a national level, and do it all with your closest friends.

“We are all really close because we spend so much time together,” says senior cheerleader Mercedes Camarillo. “We're like a family.”

Camaraderie is what motivates sixteen Deer Valley cheerleaders, ages 14‑18, who will be headed to the Universal Cheer Association National Championship in Orlando, Fla., in February. The competition will be televised on ESPN. Deer Valley won 1st place at the Regional UCA Competition back in November, which qualified the team for the UCA Nationals.

Coach Jones says, “We are competing against East Coast teams, and it's a really tough competition. The West Coast teams hardly ever make it into the top ten. The West Coast style is more performance‑oriented, where the East Coast style is more crowd‑oriented. So we're taking a routine this year that is a more crowd‑oriented performance.”

“It's a lot of hard work to win,” Camarillo says. “The teams are really competitive. Coach Jones keeps us very disciplined. She's hard on us, but it's worth it because she knows what it takes to win.”

The Deer Valley coach knows the competition.

“It will have to be a flawless routine to succeed in Orlando. I have some girls who went last year and know what to expect and that's helpful. We started working last June, and some girls came in not being able to do much. By this time of year they are amazed about what they can do,” Jones says.

Deer Valley cheerleaders will also be going to UCA competition in Anaheim this March. The team raises funds to cover trip expenses by selling candy and holding bake sales. Training, fundraising and travel builds strong bonds between the girls.

An opportunity to see the Deer Valley cheerleaders in action is coming up soon when Glendale's Jobing.com Arena will host the Arizona Interscholastic Association 2007 State Spirit Line Championships on Jan. 20–a huge competition featuring the teams that have qualified at a regional.

“Deer Valley cheerleaders will compete in Pom, Show and Stunt categories. For the last 3 years, we have won 1st in the Show division,” Jones says.

Camarillo says, “The coaching is what has brought us success. They give us the time to learn our performances. They are hard on us, but that's what it takes to win. They have taught us to never give up.”