Last year, the Extreme Athletix Hip-Hop team went to the national finals in Florida with the expectation of learning and having fun.

They ended up winning that event and eventually the nationwide virtual finals.

“We won the Grand National Championship,” Director Shawna Fitzgerald said. “It was a great experience for the kids.”

This year, the team is off to Florida again — with more members and more fanfare.

Above, Paisley Lawson (left) and Kendyll Tome of Extreme Athletix wave as the team is escorted through Warren Thursday as a send-off on their trip to the national finals competition in Orlando.

“We’re going to Florida to see if we can do it again,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re hoping we can do the same thing.”

The 15 members of the Junior 3 Cheer squad will compete on Saturday and Sunday, followed each day by the 11 members of the Junior Hip-Hop team. Both groups earned invitations to the national event through performances during the season. “It’s a big deal to even win a bid,” Fitzgerald said.

There is some overlap on the teams – a total of 18 girls were escorted through downtown Warren after they left for their trip Thursday afternoon from the Warren County YMCA.

Units from the City of Warren Police, Sheffield Volunteer Fire Department, and Sugar Grove Volunteer Fire Department escorted the vehicles.

That several girls will be competing twice each day is a challenge. The cheer competitions are the more physically demanding, and they are first, so those girls will be ready. Then they’ll change – outfits and mindsets – for the hip-hop event.

Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry The Extreme Athletix team gets together for a photo Thursday at the Warren County YMCA just before leaving for the national finals in Orlando.

The pandemic limited the number of teams willing and able to travel in 2021 and there will be more competition at the event this year, Fitzgerald said. “It’s good to see everybody back out.”

Whether the Warren teams win or not, the coach expects the trip will result in reinvigoration. “It’s nice going to these big events because you see teams that you aspire to,” she said. “They’re hungry when they get back. They see things they want to do. It makes them work harder.”

Last year, teams were saying they wanted to see more of Extreme Athletix.

“On the second day, teams were coming up to us saying, ‘When do you perform? We want to watch,'” Fitzgerald said.

The teams include girls ages 12 to 16. Some are relatively new to the sport, others have been in the program for nine years, Fitzgerald said.

They put in a lot of hard work, like any successful team. “It’s paying off,” she said.

This season has been a tough one. “My cheer team this year has overcome obstacles constantly,” Fitzgerald said.

Between injuries and departures, the chemistry and the performances have changed multiple times. “They’re always up for it,” she said. “Their determination and hard work have gotten them through a very hard season. I’m so proud of them.”