Torrey Pines Pop Warner takes Palomar titles in Pee Wee, Midget divisions
Two Torrey Pines Pop Warner squads took first place at the Palomar Championship cheer and dance competition on Sunday, October 24 at Viejas Arena at SDSU: The Pee Wee Falcons, in the Pee Wee intermediate small division; and the Midget Falcons, in the Midget intermediate small division.
The first place Pee Wee squad is coached by Brenda Filippone and assistant coach Jennifer Warren. Cheerleaders include Tiffany Chasson, Jenna Agbulos, Annalise Castro, Olivia Fuller, Megan Wiener, Mackenzie Warren, Olivia Scott, Alexis Filippone, Sarah Kirby, Jaclyn Wachs, Lexi Bone, Olivia Krzyston, Callie Mckinnon and Nicole Krakower.
The squads train from the first of August through to their last competition or football game -- which can go into December – practicing three days a week in addition to cheering for their football teams on Saturdays.
“The cheerleaders have two very important jobs to do,” said Tonya Montes, TPPW president. “They provide spirit and encouragement for our football players at their games, and then they go on to compete on their own. The dedication and time commitment is impressive and they manage to maintain academic standards that apply to all Pop Warner participants. We have an extraordinary group of coaches, volunteers and girls who make the whole program exceptional.”
The competition routines are judged on a combination of chanting, tumbling, stunting (pyramids, basket tosses, etc.) motion technique, jumps and dance as well as overall appeal. The total routine time is two and a half minutes. If a team places 1st or 2nd at the local Palomar competition, they move on the regional competition which is held this year in Arizona on November 20. Teams then compete against winning teams in the Wescon region and the top two teams in each age and skill-level division advance to the National competition at Disney World in Orlando, Florida in December.
“These two wins are very impressive -- especially at the intermediate division where the skills involved are more complicated,” said Susan Hagen, TPPW cheer coordinator. “Intermediate squads must master skills such as one-legged extended stunts, and advanced tumbling skills like back tucks and multiple back handsprings, and compete against very seasoned teams. The whole association is really proud of all of our teams that competed at this competition – they made TPPW very proud.”
The Palomar league includes Carlsbad, Escondido, Fallbrook, La Costa Canyon, Menifee, Murrieta, Oceanside, Poway, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, San Marcos, Temecula, Torrey Pines, Valley Center, Vista and Wildomar.
Torrey Pines Pop Warner, a nonprofit youth football and cheer league dedicated to providing an opportunity for children to experience participation in football and cheerleading in a structured league environment. The boundaries of our league include Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar and Carmel Valley (Torrey Pines High School Boundaries). For more information and 2011 registration information, please see
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