IRVINGTON, NJ —The Irvington High School cheerleading squad traveled to Burlington Township High School on Saturday, Aug. 3, to participate in a cheerleading clinic to help the cheerleaders develop a gameday routine for this upcoming fall football season. Burlington Township Cheerleaders have won five national cheerleading championships at the National High School Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida, under head coach Kim Gaskin, who is also the President of the NJ Cheer & Dance Coaches Association.
Gaskin stated, “This clinic was a great opportunity for our two teams to work on cheer techniques, like stunting and dance, but more importantly, we will support each other and create a positive spirit that we will demonstrate to fans this upcoming season.”
The two schools have a connection. The Burlington Twp. athletic director is John Taylor, who is the former Irvington athletic director. Taylor served as the Irvington athletic director from September 2017 to last January before becoming the new Burlington Township athletic director.
“We had a beautiful time,” longtime IHS head cheerleading coach Veleria Brown-Garner, who has been the coach at IHS for close to 40 years, since 1985. “They showed us different things with cheerleading and our cheerleaders showed them different things. It was very nice hospitality. The kids got along with each other, and they just met that time. The coaches was outstanding. We had so much fun. I have never worked well with a high school like that before. Both squads were giving and taking and both squads got along extremely well. When it was time to go, we didn’t want it to end.”
Brown-Garner was grateful for Taylor for helping to set up the arrangement. An IHS Athletic Hall of Fame member, Garner-Brown also said the teams hope to get together again in October.
Photos and video Courtesy of John Taylor
Irvington HS cheerleaders work on routines for the season, gain guidance from 5-time national champion Burlington Twp. added by Editor on
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