Staples cheerleading placed second in the FCIAC cheerleading competition held on Saturday, Feb. 7, at Fairfield Warde High School.

While Fairfield Ludlowe took home top honors with 172.6 points, Staples scored 150.2 points to edge out Trumbull, who scored 147.7, securing the runner-up position.  Ridgefield and Danbury finished fourth and fifth in the competition, respectively.

“All of our hard work has really built up over the past four years to get to where we are today,” Lindsey Giannitti ’15, a captain of the cheerleading team, said.  “A lot of our success has come from the constant support and effort every girl gives on this team.”

This was the first time in Staples cheerleading history that the team placed second in its current division.  Prior to this year, Staples’ highest ranking was fifth place in 2012.

After changing coaches in the middle of the season, many members of the team didn’t know what to expect for the rest of the season.  Several thought this change was a turning point in their year.

“Our coaches were very instrumental in the success of our team,” Katelyn Gladstone ’17 said. “We probably wouldn’t have been prepared for this competition without them, and we are all immensely grateful.”

While members of the team attribute a sizeable portion of their success to the new coaches, head coach Devin Zayas feels the hard work of the students played the most important part in their success.

“The girls worked extremely hard to get to the point of being able to compete,” Zayas said. “They had to finish learning a routine and perfect it within a month, which is unheard of for high school cheerleading routines.”

Assistant coach Linda Guddemi added, “[The team] went above and beyond their comfort zone and didn’t stop until they were satisfied.”

Cheerleading team member Jessy Nelson ’16 specified the emotions felt upon hearing the results of the competition.

“We were absolutely amazed,” Nelson said. “We all were so excited and happy to hear our name be called for second place.”

Staples alumni Olivia Stanley ’13 was excited after hearing the news that her old teammates were ranked second.

“As former captain of the cheerleading team at Staples I was very happy for all the girls when I found out they placed so high at FCIAC,” Stanley said “I know how hard each of them must have worked to place second and I am very proud of the team.”