Three Jr. Zebra Cheer teams win National Championships in Las Vegas

Three years after winning its last National title in 2020, the Lincoln Jr. Zebra Cheer team has won three National Championships at the JAMZ Nationals in Las Vegas on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21. The Pee Wees, Jr. Midgets and Midgets cheer teams all placed first at the event. The Pee Wee team has 9- to 10-year-olds, the Jr. Midgets has 10- to 12-year-olds and the Midgets has 11- to 13-year-olds. "I'm extremely proud of all my teams and the feeling of pride and knowing how hard the coaches and athletes have put in is indescribable," said Donna Buss, Jr. Pee Wees coach and cheer director. "I did cry a lot of happy tears with all my teams. The rush of going on the National stage to get the medals and jackets is a great feeling." According to Buss, the road to Nationals starts at the beginning of the cheer season in July. "We compete in two competitions during the regular season, from mid July to mid November, and we have the opportunity to qualify at either of those competitions," Buss said. In Stockton on Oct. 23 at Jamz Reload, all four teams qualified for Nationals with the Jr. Pee Wees and the Pee Wees placing third and the Jr. Midgets and the Midgets teams placing first. In Roseville on Nov. 13 at the SAC League Competition, the Jr. Midgets and the Midgets were first yet again with the Jr. Pee Wees taking first and the Pee Wees finishing second. The postseason competition season began on Nov. 14. Despite the Jr. Pee Wees not winning the National title, they took sixth out of 10 teams in Las Vegas and had no deductions. All teams have one more competition left in the postseason, the Jamz State Championship on February 11. When asked if Buss had anything else she wanted to add, Buss wanted to acknowledge all of her coaches. The Jr. Pee Wees assistant coach is Megan Fear and her junior coaches are Emma Fear, Liv Andriani, Sierra Malmo, Sarah Rodriquez and Erika Mejia. The Pee Wees head coach is Angelica Sanchez and her assistant coaches are Ana Ruiz and Kristen Pitnzer. The junior coaches for the Pee Wees team are Kylee Rask, Malaya Amerie and Makaela Chavez. For the Jr. Midgets, the head coach is Laura Strelo and the assistant coach is Kendall Strelo-Garcia. The junior coaches for the team are Vexx Van Pere and Mia Stevenson. The Midgets head coach is Danielle Pacheco and her assistants are: Samantha Ryan, Savannah Farebrother, Nicole Buss and Sarah McCrary. The Jr. Coaches for the team include Kylee Rask, Maddie McCrary, Melania Magana, Abby Meehan.