Special needs cheerleading team breaks boundaries — and wins

Shelly Taylor has been a cheerleader for the past six years.

She enjoys practicing stunts, competing against other teams and hanging out with her fellow cheerleaders.

When she’s not working on her cheers, Taylor and her teammates can often be found at the bowling alley or the movies, relaxing and having fun.

But the squad that Taylor, and more than 20 others are a part of, isn’t the typical cheerleading team.

Setting up shop at the Nor’ Eastern Storm All-Star gym located in the Twilley Center, Taylor is a member of Shooting Stars cheer team — a group of special needs athletes who have competed in regional and national events.

Since its beginning in 2010, the squad has taken part in more than 15 national competitions and has grown from a team of seven members to now between 20 and 25 cheerleaders ranging from ages 7 to 53.

“It was something new and interesting,” Shooting Stars coach Laurie Andrews said. “We started this out not knowing what it was going to be, and (the cheerleaders) pushed the boundaries and continue to push the boundaries — they always want us to teach them harder routines and continue to challenge them.”

Andrews, along with the help of fellow coaches Katya Andrews and Karli Boog, worked together with gym owner Pam Duke to bring the program to Salisbury more than seven years ago.

Each coach has had a history with special needs people, which influenced them to become a part of the Shooting Stars team. Boog and Laurie Andrews grew up with special needs siblings who required extra attention as they progressed through life. Katya Andrews had experience with people with disabilities while helping her mother throughout her childhood.

“I’ve always helped her with that, and it’s something that I love doing,” Katya Andrews said. “A lot of this is about teamwork and working with people you may not always like. When you come here, you do what you need to do, and I think this is a nice place where they can come relax and make a lot of friendships.”

MORE SPORTS: Celebrity basketball game aims to confront local youth violence

MORE CHEERLEADING: IR wins first cheerleading title since 1984

Their backgrounds, paired with the experience they possessed in cheerleading and gymnastics, made the idea of a special needs cheer team seem obvious for the trio of coaches.

“We all just happened to come together around the same time. I had been talking to (Duke) for about three years about doing it, but when other people said they were interested, we got right to work on it,” Boog said.

Once Duke gave the go-ahead for the program, Laurie Andrews got to work spreading the word on the new team that was coming to Salisbury.

With a small number of cheerleaders joining the squad in its inaugural season, the Shooting Stars were forced to compete in local competitions, while hopes of traveling to major events didn’t even cross the minds of the athletes or coaches.

Teaching the basics of cheerleading was Andrews' primary focus, working on cartwheels, tumbles, splits and much more.

Though many of the athletes had never tried cheering before, they were determined to learn the sport and put in the work needed to excel at the highest level.

“Ever since I was little I wanted to be a cheerleader. I saw it on TV and it just interested me,” Maggie O’Grady said. “I feel like I’m really improving. I used to not be able to do a cartwheel, but now I’m working my way up to doing one.”

MORE SPORTS: How lacrosse is uniting Doverdale youth, community leaders

The squads are broken down into two core teams: competition and exhibition. 

The competition group travels and competes nationwide while the exhibition team still practices, but focuses more on learning the sport.

In the competition aspect, the Shooting Stars are a part of the Competitive Level 2 division, in which the cheerleaders are held to the same level rules and skills as other squads they go against.

In the team’s early days, Laurie Andrews looked to teams and coaches around the area to receive advice and tips on how to take the Shooting Stars to the next level.

“We knew we weren’t that competitive early on. We went up to a competition and the Maryland Twisters were there, who have been around forever. I went up to their coaches and just asked them really what to do, and they encouraged us to just try and don’t give up,” she said.

The Twisters eventually became the Shooting Stars' rivals over the program's first five years, inching past Salisbury’s team in every national event.

But despite constantly finishing in the second spot, the Shooting Stars were determined to take their routine to the next level and finally down the Twisters.

“We wanted to win no matter what,” Taylor said.

After months of preparation, changes to the team’s routine and support from family and friends, the Shooting Stars finally accomplished their goal.

On Jan. 21, 2017 at the Maryland Cup Nationals, the Shooting Stars were center stage awaiting the results of the competition.

But for the first time in the team's history, the Twisters were called before the Stars.

“They literally said second place, and I pushed our guys forward, and when it wasn’t our name, I had to pull them back,” Laurie Andrews said. “At that point, we realized what had just happened.”

Over the loudspeaker, it was announced the young team from Salisbury had captured the top prize and could finally call themselves national champions.

“It was amazing,” O’Grady said. “We kept practicing, hoped for the best and it worked out.”

The victory proved to the team they could compete and beat the best cheer teams in the country. Following their national win, the Shooting Stars went on to win an additional four first-place awards, including two at national competitions.

Although it is currently in its offseason, the team is raising money to make the trip to Dallas, Texas in February, where it would cheer in the National Cheerleaders Association All-Star National Championship.

The event will cost an estimated $50,000 for both the team’s athletes and guardians to attend, but the Shooting Stars are hard at work ensuring Salisbury will be well represented come competition time.

“We’ve been doing bake sales, we’ll be doing an auction, some dine to donate nights at the local restaurants here and just picking up donations,” Katya Andrews said. “We had a bake sale that raised $2,000, so we’re on the right track.”

But whether the team makes it to Texas next year, it won’t take away from the main objective the trio of coaches try to accomplish during their time with the team.

With all ages and genders accepted, the only real skill needed to become a part of the Shooting Stars is a positive attitude.

“It’s very different, but everyone seems to really enjoy it,” Boog said. “They work hard for it, they come to practice ready to learn and they want to win.”