CARROLL COUNTY, Md. — A special cheerleading team needs your help to get to a big cheer conference in Florida.
We first introduced you to the SJC CheerABILITIES team in 2023, when they were going to the Worlds Championship, also in Florida. The team is made up of 10 athletes with disabilities.
They were not scored in the 2023 competition but they did all receive medals.
This time around, the team will be scored. It's also more expensive to get the team down there, said Ambre Noel, the team's head coach, especially with accommodations for disabilities to consider.
They are looking to raise $28,000 to cover travel costs and competition fees.
"It absolutely means everything to them being on an even playing field with their typical athlete cohorts," said Noel. "It puts them in a place where they have to work just as hard, if not harder, than everybody else, to make sure they’re accomplishing what they need to accomplish."
Noel said the CheerABILITIES team is the primary cheer team at Sarah Jessie Cheerleading in Hanover, PA and they have the most heart and passion when it comes to the sport.
"This team loves cheer more than anybody I’ve met in my entire life. They love what they do, they love their teammates," she said.
"As their coach, to watch them take these actions and take these strides and accomplish their goals is, to put it simply, overwhelming."
The team is heading down to Florida in mid-April. To donate to their trip, click here.
