Leland cheerleading program wins 9th national championship

LELAND, NC (WWAY) – Nine national championships in five years. That’s a big accomplishment for The Roger Bacon Academy Vikings Pop Warner program.

Over the weekend, the program sent five squads to a national competition in Orlando, Florida.

With five squads competing in different divisions, the program earned two 1st place national titles, one 2nd place national title, one 4th place national title, and one 5th place national title.

The program also earned two national “Spirit of Sport” awards, as well as an award for the highest jump score.

Broadcast on ESPN 3, the national competition included approximately 330 squads across various divisions.

These squads are made up of students in grades K-8 from public charter schools managed by The Roger Bacon Academy.

The charter schools do not receive funding for athletic programs, so the company sponsors cheerleading and football teams for its schools, which include Charter Day School in Leland, South Brunswick Charter School in Southport, Columbus Charter School in Whiteville, and Douglass Academy in Wilmington. 165 students participate in the RBA cheerleading program.

Here’s a look at their titles:

Varsity, Level 4 – Charter Day School and Columbus Charter School
1st place National Champion, Highest Jump Score

Jr. Pee Wee, Level 4 – Charter Day School, Columbus Charter School, South Brunswick Charter
1st place National Champion, 1st Runner-up in first-ever Skill Games

Pee Wee, Level 4 – Charter Day School
2nd place National Title

Jr. Varsity – Columbus Charter School
5th place National Title, National Spirit of Sport Award- Level 3

Jr. Pee Wee -Charter Day School and Columbus Charter School
4th place National Title, National Spirit of Sport Award- Level 1

Head Coach, Jean Lafave started the program at Charter Day School in 2005 and expanded the program in 2014 to include Columbus Charter School students.

In 2016, Lafave expanded the program to include South Brunswick Charter School students, who earned a 1st place national championship in their first year of competition.

Individually, Lafave was named Pop Warner’s 2016 Volunteer of the Year for the Mid-South Region.