Local cheer teams bring home national honors Local cheer teams bring home national honors (December 30, 2005)

The Mountain View Marauders cheer squad placed fourth in the Pee Wee Division among 16 of the nation's highest-ranked teams earlier this month at the Pop Warner National Cheer and Dance Championships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

The squad of 9- to 12-year-olds qualified for nationals following three first place finishes earlier this year at their local invitational at Shoreline Amphitheatre, and the Peninsula Conference Championships and the Pacific Northwest Regional Championships, both at Santa Clara University.

Twenty-nine members of the Mountain View Marauders cheer program competed in Orlando. The junior squad, consisting of 8- to 11-year-olds, took sixth place among 17 other teams.

Squad members attend schools in Mountain View, Los Altos, Cupertino and Palo Alto, and have trained since the beginning of August. They also cheer for the Mountain View Marauders football teams and have participated in numerous fundraisers to help pay for their travel expenses.

For more information on Mountain View Pop Warner football and cheer programs, visit www.mvmarauders.com.

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