TWISTERS TRIUMPH: Victory Worth Cheering For!

BY RESIDENT AND JUNIOR WRITER JAYDEN HILLYARD THIS FEATURE SPONSORED BY THE ST. JAMES FC VIRGINIA

The Maryland Twisters 2022-2023 season took 28 teams from 3 of their locations, Hanover, Sterling and MoCo to compete at the All-Star cheer championships in Orlando, Florida at the end of April. These teams earned bids to The Summit and The One Finals.

The Summit championship is a chance to compete against the best of the best in all levels of competition across the globe. Junior and Senior level teams compete against 20+ teams in the wildcard/semi-finals. The top 5 make it to the finals to compete for the championship. Nine of Maryland Twisters teams placed among the top 10 in their divisions between the semi-final and final rounds! This was my first year attending Summit. I am on a Junior Level 1 team and our team earned a paid bid to the Summit which advanced us to the semi-final round. There were a total of 71 teams in our division and we finished 8th in the country! It was such an amazing experience and I will never forget the memories I made. I was so amazed by all the teamscompeting. They were the best of the best competing against each other. Ella Riccio, who competed on Junior level 1, Haze this season said, “my favorite part was competing with my team in front of the Summit judges. Also, making it to finals as a top 5 team.”

The One Cheer & Dance finals is an end-of-season event offered to cheer and dance teams. Many competitions that we compete in offer exclusive bids to The One Finals. This is a two-day competition with hundreds of teams from the Southeast region. Maryland Twisters had 15 teams from the 3 locations compete at The One in Orlando Florida. Eleven of those teams placed in the top 3 for their division. This season

I competed on two teams. My second team, a Youth Level 2, earned a bid to compete at The One. This was my second time competing at this event. We competed against 7 other teams and earned 3rd place. It was a very tough competition.

Everley Bianchetta, competed on the Youth Level 1 team. This was Everley’s first year competing at The One Finals. She said, “Competing in Orlando was a great experience. I enjoyed seeing all of the teams from across the country and the high level of competition. It was really fun to meet some of the older girls on teams that I look up to. Swimming and going to Disney with teammates made it extra special.” Arianna Keiser from the Tiny Level 1 team said, “Florida was the best and biggest competition of the year. We hit zero both days! We beat a big competition team and even got to go to Disney after it was over. It was a great experience.”

BY RESIDENT AND JUNIOR WRITER AVA MITCHELL THIS FEATURE SPONSORED BY FORTIFY CHIROPRACTIC AND SPORTS REHAB

For all you Disney fans and enthusiasts out there wondering if Disney’s newest cruise ship, “The Wish” lives up to its reviews… it definitely does! Our first experience was magical; exploring the kids club, riding down the slide, and eating unlimited soft-serve ice cream are all great but my favorite part was lounging on the top deck by the pool. The most delicious food options for kids in my opinion were at “Mickey’s Festival of Foods” on the pool deck (us kids found the rotational dining rooms were “mid” though the adults really enjoyed their entrees.) It is amazing that they have so many great options like Mexican food, Pizza, American food, Barbecue and as I said earlier UNLIMITED soft-serve ice cream! Now let’s move on to Disney’s Magical Private Island called Castaway Cay! This beach has beautiful crystal clear water and many activities like a ropes course, snorkeling, water slides and more. Castaway Key is amazing, and I definitely recommend it.

unimpressed I was with the staff’s patience but overall it was very fun. They held a bunch of events and you could get dropped off and picked up at any time. There was also a slide leading down to it, which made it so fun but now it’s time to move on to the spas. There were three different places to go to get pampered and one of them was called “Senses Spa.” This place was for adults and they had massages and other treatments. Next is “The Bippity Boppity Boutique” where your son or daughter could be turned into a Disney character of their dreams. The last place is “Untangled” where you could get mani-pedis or your hair done.

Now let’s move on to the last part of my review, performances! There are so many great live performances and shows but you could also sit on the top deck watching a family-friendly Disney movie! As you might know in rotational dining, many of them have shows. I wish the shows had a little more pizzazz but overall it was a great experience and a lot of fun for the family. I would recommend a Disney Cruise for your next family vacation, because it is fun, familyfriendly, and makes all your wishes come true!

Willowsford residents enjoyed the ultimate self-care Sunday afternoon at Yoga Shala in Aldie for our Stroll Flow & Fizz event on May 21, sponsored by Granger Financial, in support of LAWS (Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter). As Ebone’ Granger, Willowsford resident and co-owner of Granger Financial said, “As women, we often wear so many hats; we are moms, wives, sisters, daughters, and friends. We are often pouring into everyone before ourselves so we were happy to offer this time