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Massapequa Park resident part of Hofstra's 2007 championship cheerleading squad
The disappointment of not getting the chance to perform on the mats during the 2006 championship run didn't dampen her enthusiasm. Instead, it gave her the motivation and determination to do better this year. Following a healthy diet and a strict regimen of training earned her a spot on this year's competition squad, and she helped lead Hofstra to its second straight Division 1 Small School Coed National title in early January. The event, the College Cheerleading National Championships, was held at Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Mormino, a Hofstra senior, who as a sophomore was a member of the 2005 competition squad which took sixth place at Nationals, earned the championship ring she so coveted. It was Hofstra's third championship in five years and the first time in program that won back-to-back national titles. "It was definitely the most crazy experience of my life," said Mormino, a Farmingdale High School graduate who is dual majoring in English and Secondary Education at Hofstra. Mormino's journey to making the 2007 Hofstra competition squad included rigorous exercising and eating that included Weight Watchers meals that allowed her to lose a lot of weight. She said she wanted to serve as a role model for the younger members of the team. Mormino was hit with more adversity two weeks before the championships, however, when she suffered a stress fracture in her tibia. But despite the pain, she decided to work through the injury so she could compete. "There was nothing that was going to keep me from those championships," said Mormino who sought treatment from her doctor upon returning from Florida. Mormino's cheerleading career began when she was 8-years-old and she performed for the Farmingdale Hawks youth squad until she was 14. She eventually coached the Hawks for three years, and was also a part of the Nie's Gym Travel team in Ronkonkoma, in addition to cheering at Farmingdale. At Hofstra, the Massapequa Park resident has cheered at football, basketball and volleyball games since her freshman year, in addition to making the competition squad that placed sixth in 2005 before being an alternate on the 2006 national title team. "More than anything, Jen wanted that spot again on the competition squad," said Hofstra cheerleading head coach Christine Nowierski. "She wanted a championship ring so bad." According to Nowierski, Mormino and her Hofstra teammates worked hard for the title, training throughout the year and practicing twice a day for the two and a half weeks leading up to the competition. The title came, despite the fact that the squad was rated seventh out of 12 in the videotaped "pre-ranking." "That added a little extra stress," said Mormino of the pre-ranking. "We were a little nervous about trying to defend a national title." "The days leading up to the competition in Florida, the team was so unbelievably focused," said Nowierski. Nowierski, a former Hofstra cheerleader, said that in her four years of coaching at her alma mater she has been proud not just of the team's successes on the mats but but also of how the student athletes conduct themselves outside the gym with most members achieving grade point averages above 3.0. "They understand the commitment and dedication involved and have an amazing work ethic," said Nowierski. "I choreographed a strong routine and am proud to say it was a routine demonstrating the team's strengths the best they could." Mormino said in her four years of cheering at Hofstra she has made numerous friends and found a great support system with her teammates. She said she will miss cheerleading, but hopes in addition to being an English teacher she can coach the sport she has enjoyed since she was eight year old.
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