This Four Points Pop Warner cheer team was named national champions last month.

Local cheerleaders from the Four Points Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee Black team won first place at the National Champions last month in Florida.

Their season started on Aug. 1 with boot camp where they learned choreography and cheers. Former Pop Warner cheerleaders from middle school helped them with motions and jumps. Austin Tumbling Academy helped them with stunts.

“Our team motto is ‘Strong Alone, Unstoppable Together.’ We stressed that from the very first day of practice,” said Charissa Ludlow, head coach. “The girls had to work hard on their individual skills to help the team.”

This is Ludlow’s fourth year coaching and first year with assistant Stacey Culloty. They have 8, 9, 10 and 11 year olds on their squad, including two All American National Scholars.

The team cheered for the Pop Warner JPW Black football team that made it into the first round of playoffs.

“We competed locally in our region at the Hill Country Pop Warner Spirit Spectacular and won our division as well as the Spirit Award,” Ludlow said.

Next they competed in the Southwest Region and won their division with zero deductions.

“Our squad (also) won the highest score of all the cheer teams competing – Grand Champions,”  Ludlow said.

That qualified the team for Nationals at Walt Disney World and they competed Dec 3.

“We scored zero deductions and won first place – National Champions for Junior Pee Wee level 3,” Ludlow said.

Some of the girls saw the former Pop Warner team win nationals in 2015 and that motivated them to keep working hard, she added. Some of those girls are now on the JV VHS cheer squad.

“They were so committed and worked so very hard. They really wanted to be their best,”  Ludlow said.