Dynasty Elite squad wins national championship

MANATEE COUNTY — After playing soccer for a number of years, 12-year-olds Meagan Gigliotti and Kylie Birch both decided it was time for a change.

The two began looking at different options before coming across Dynasty Elite Cheer and Dance two years ago.

“I wanted to do a more girlie sport,” Gigliotti said.

Gigliotti and Birch both decided to give cheerleading a try. Before long, the two girls had fallen in love with the sport.

“I like competing,” Birch said. “It’s so much fun out there, and you get to make all of these facials.”

Now, after spending the last two years on Dynasty Elite’s Youth team, the girls’ hard work and dedication is paying off.

The team won first place in the level 2 large division at the All-American National Championships March 19-20 in Orlando. It was the team’s second first-place finish this year.

“We put our heart and souls into our routine,” Birch said.

Gigliotti agreed.

“We worked together,” Gigliotti said. “I was kind of surprised though because we could’ve done better, but we still won.”

The Youth team, comprising 28 girls from ages 7-11, began its competition season in January. The competition season typically starts in December, but a combination of youth and inexperience actually kept the team from competing until mid-January.

“When we first started, I thought we were going to struggle to get in the top three at any of the competitions,” coach and owner Jimmy Lassiter said. “We have a bunch of new girls. We added about 15 girls to the team, so it was more of them melting together.”

But to Lassiter’s surprise, the team has done better than expected.

On Jan. 15-16, the girls took first place at the STATE Championships of Florida in Daytona. Dynasty Elite followed up its state championship with a second-place finish at The Official Florida Championships Feb. 13 at the Florida State Fair.

“I’m hoping they continue their success,” Lassiter said. “We started off so slow — just concentrating on the basics — and now, we’ve (increased) the skills in their routine.”

“They get along great, and they’re a really fun group to be around,” he added. “They like to be here. They’re gym rats, and they have a real love for it.”

Now with state and national titles to their credit, the girls will compete in two more competitions to close out the competition season. During the next two weeks, the team will spend two to three nights a week in the gym perfecting its routine in preparation for the Tournament of Champions competition April 9 at the Florida Amphitheater.

“The team that we’re going to be going up against — we keep switching on and off with,” Mackenzie Zambello, 11, said. “They’re really good too.”

But even though the competition will be fierce, the girls believe they have a chance to win as long as they work together.

“We need to work together and hit everything,” Gigliotti said. “We always have to stay positive. If we work together then we’ll succeed together.”

For more information on Dynasty Elite Cheer and Dance visit its website at www.dynastyelitecheer.com.

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].