Programs Grab National Attention
By Matthew Cannata | Sports Correspondent at December 19, 2023 | 9:00 am | Print
The New Britain Police Athletic League Cheerleading and Football Program are no longer limited to being known here locally and around the region. Now, they are known on a national scale as champions. That’s because last week, both programs competed in their respective national championships after winning the local, district and regional championships prior to that. Both programs did extremely well down in Walt Disney World with the football team playing in the Pop Warner Super Bowl and the Midget division cheerleaders finishing first and claiming the National Championship trophy.
This accomplishment means a lot of Justin Mitchell, Cheer Coordinator, but said it means even more for the kids and all of the hard work they’ve put in.
“Most importantly, it shows the kids that all their hard work has paid off. The majority of this team has been working toward this goal for three seasons. In their first season together in 2012, they did not qualify for nationals, coming in third at the New England Regional Championship. In 2013, they made it to nationals but placed fifth in the nation, which is still an amazing accomplishment. This year, they finally reached their goal of winning the National Championship. It proves to the kids, if you want something you have to work for it. This will be an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”
Mitchell believes that this accomplishment will help the program grow their numbers due to the national exposure and recognition. Over the years, he said the membership numbers have declined and is almost two to three times less than what they were in the mid-1990s. During that time, they went to several national championships but this was the first time they came home with the trophy.
The group competed against 17 teams from around the nation. Mitchell said there were many memorable moments but none more than when they received their awards.
“I think the most memorable moment was during awards. Not only did we place first in the nation, but we received the overall highest jump score of the competition. Out of 10 possible points, we received a 9.82. Anyone that knows about the cheer scoring grid knows that is a huge accomplishment.”
Besides the Midget division, the Junior Pee Wee cheer team also competed for their respective National Championship and placed third after competing with 21 other teams.
As mentioned, it wasn’t just the cheerleaders who found success. The football team played in the Pop Warner Super Bowl and although they weren’t able to pull off the victory against the Northwest Raiders of Pennsylvania, it’s a huge testament that they finished second in the nation among the thousands of teams that compete each year in Pop Warner football in the Midget division, which is for players who are ages 12-15.
Dennis Beaty, a retired police Captain, founded the program in the 1970s and is still active in the organization today. Beaty is no stranger to national championships but said that this one couldn’t have come at a better time for the program.
“It put a shot in the arm for our program. Back in 1998, we played for the championship for the first time. We didn’t know anything but somehow, we made it and played for it. Back then, it was delayed three weeks and now it’s live. The Pop Warner National Championships are becoming like the Little League World Series. We are on national television with big name announcers and we get all the exposure that you can possibly get. Kids are talking to each other all over social media and the traffic to our website has exploded. In addition, our phones have been ringing off the hook since playing on ESPN this past Saturday. There’s nothing like Pop Warner and we’re happy to be a part of it.”
Beaty thanked everyone who has supported them and made a point to particularly thank Police Chief James Wardwell and former Chief William Gagliardi for their backing and strong support of the program.
“It’s nice that the police department is behind our program because in the end, it benefits everyone. It helps the kids do the right things and brings the community together. Chief Wardwell and Chief Gagliardi have both been instrumental in shaping the program.”
Down in Florida, the players received a four-day park hopper pass to all of the Disney Parks. In addition, they had just about all of Hollywood Studios to themselves on Saturday evening when Pop Warner threw an enormous Super Bowl party for all of the teams that were down there.
Besides making everyone proud back home here in New Britain, Beaty said that he was most proud of the way the kids behaved throughout the week, which is a credit to head coach Stephan Brownlee and the rest of this staff. Beaty has been to the National Championships several times, said that this group was the best behaved group he has seen since 1998.
New Britain has always had plenty of success when competing in different sports across the local and regional but we don’t always see this type of national success. These kids, their coaches and their parents can be proud that they accomplished something that hasn’t been done in a long time.
