The Whitehall Zephyrs cheerleaders were crowned District XI Champions of the Small Division at the District XI Competitive Spirit Championships on Jan. 11 at Easton Area Middle School.

The Zephyrs, coached by Jean Marsteller, outscored Wilson, Emmaus, Bethlehem Catholic, Lehighton, East Stroudsburg North, and East Stroudsburg South for first place. Wilson came in second.

"It's a really good feeling. We worked really hard for it, and it's what our goal was this season," said Whitehall captain, Jenna Bowman.

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride, the Zephyrs persevered in practices leading up to the competition, finally hitting their routine two days before.

"We've gotten second in the past two years, so we just really wanted to come back this year and give it our everything and hopefully win," said Nicole Peifly, also a Whitehall captain.

The Zephrys opened their routine with team tumbling.

"We just worked on the timing because everyone already has the skills," Bowman said.

The tumbling was followed by several stunts and a "We are Zephyrs" cheer with signs and lifts.

The Zephyrs ended with jumps, a dance, and a pyramid that begins with a strong man. A stunt group in the back then splits forward, which is followed by a 360, and a flip that is caught at the top.

"It's not so much that it's a really hard thing to do. It just looks really clean, and it's cool. No teams do that, really," said Peifly.

The Zephyrs knew the importance of ending their routine strong.

Peifly said, "We left it all out on the floor and ended with the best that we could."

Also highlighted in the routine were their low-to-highs and 360 ups.

Bowman said, "For this competition, the scoresheets were online, so we knew how much each part of the routine was worth, so we did whatever we could to max out those points."

The Zephyrs will move on to the PIAA State Competition Jan. 25 in Hershey.