Things will soon be winding down at Penn State Behrend.  In about a month, the Spring semester will be over.  But there's still a group of students on campus that are asking this question.  Will this be the year?

I’m watching the competitive cheer team at Behrend.  They are showcasing their talents in front of their fellow students before taking off next week for Daytona Beach and the NCA Cheerleading National Championships.

Penn State Behrend took second place last year in the Spirit Rally category for Division III schools. This year, they want to win it all.  Behrend has come a long way in cheerleading thanks to Coach Kelli Carpinello.  She organized the competitive cheer team seven years ago.  A team does not have to qualify to participate in the national championships. But it has to be good.  It wasn't until last year that Coach Carpinello knew it was finally time for Behrend to hit the national stage. 

"We don't guarantee that we're going to Nationals every year.  We want to see what we're working with, what we have," she said.

Last year, Behrend was not only good enough to participate, it was good enough to almost win it all.  Behrend was defeated in the Spirit Rally category by one point.  Karli Cortes is an assistant coach for the team.   Before that, she was a team member for three years.

"We are going for the gold this year,” says Coach Cortes. “I've never been more confident in the team that we're taking.  They are just good kids all around and they deserve this."  

The competition will be stronger this year.  Last year, Behrend competed against four other teams in their category.  This year, it's nine other teams. It doesn't matter. The team is focused.  Jada Martin is a three-year member of the squad.

"I like to call Daytona kind of like the Super Bowl of Cheerleading,” she says. “It's every girl's dream when they're younger to go to the biggest cheer competition ever for a cheerleader.  Especially as a college athlete.  They want to go to Nationals."  

The team definitely has the precision, the exuberance, and the athleticism.  So...will this be the year?

"This is the year.  I think this is the year,” says Jada.

The competitive cheer team has 37 members.  All will be traveling to Florida for the national championships. The competition runs from April 10 through April 13.  Gannon University will also be sending a team.  However, Gannon will be competing in a different division than Behrend.