TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A group of young cheerleaders celebrates winning three major competitions, making them Triple Crown Champions.
The team, Mini Mafia, ages 6-11, showcased how they crushed it at competition.
With tumbling, stunts, and plenty of energy, these tiny athletes showed off the winning routine.
The girls trained tirelessly, and their hard work has paid off.
They took home CheerSport, National Cheerleaders Association, and Universal Cheerleaders Association titles for their division.
“We won this one at NCA, which is the biggest competition ever and when I saw it, I was like 'wow that is big,'" said Isabel Whitaker, a competitor.
"That is a big, big opportunity."
Coach Halle Collins says they started in August with the routine then competition started in December. After her 12-year cheer career, she transitioned into coaching. This is her first group of elite athletes and her first all-star team.
“It took a lot of time as an athlete to accomplish what these kids have accomplished in their second or third year of being an athlete," said Collins. "So me being a coach, it was exhilarating."
Cheer Nation Athletics co-owner Dana Brown says this is a significant achievement for their program.
“We tried for years to do this and then finally with this group of girls here," said Brown. "It happened being that they are the gym’s future, you know it’s definitely heartfelt. You know for us, it’s just, a great future coming."
The first big win took place in Atlanta. The team’s second competition was in Dallas, where a mass evacuation took place due to an active shooter scare at the convention center. It turns out there was no threat and the cheerleaders pressed on chasing the third title in Orlando.
