Maui Cheer Allstars Score Big at Super Bowl of Cheerleading

In their eighth year, the Maui Cheer Allstars, a 36-member cheerleading squad based in Lahaina, went on to become one of the nation’s top teams at the recent Summit competitions held in Tampa, Florida, on April 30 and May 1.

In fact, the Maui Cheer Allstars—a competitive cheer team comprised of members ages 5 to 17—were the only team to represent Hawai‘i in the D2 Summit division at the Tampa Convention Center, where 4,600 athletes and 1,300 coaches participated.

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The Varsity All Star’s Cheerleading and Dance Championship Summit is a competition program for larger teams; the D2, in its inaugural year, is for smaller programs under 125 athletes. Each team from across the county competing at the Summit or D2 Summit won first place in their prospective division and area.

The D2 Summit ranks the top 12 cheer teams in the nation.

“It’s every cheerleader’s dream to compete at Summit or D2 Summit,” said Marilyn Valencia owner and co-director of the Maui Cheer Allstars.

“We call the Summit the ‘Super Bowl of Cheerleading,'” said Valencia. “If you win, you get a Summit ring and have bragging rights as the best in the nation!”

The D2 Summit is a two-day competition. On day one, the Maui Cheer Allstars competed against 23 teams that also won D2 Summit Bids or Paid Bids from various competition throughout the country.

A bid is an entry to compete. The event producers pay the Summit or D2 Summit competition registration fee, which is worth $165 per athlete.

At the end of the day, eight teams were eliminated and the top 15 moves to compete on Day 2 for Top Finals.

“We now rank No. 10 in the nation,” said Valencia. “That is awesome, considering we were the lone ranger representing our State of Hawai‘i.

“It is important to acknowledge the driving force behind the Maui Cheer Allstars—Head Coach Maryann Corpuz, Assistant Coach and Co-Director Stacey Baraoidan, Assistant Coach Kahaia Lilikoi and Conditioning Fitness Coach Charlie Perreira,” said Valencia. “I cannot thank them enough!”

In January 2016, the Maui Cheer Allstars competed against O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island Allstars Teams at the Athletics Championship held at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

At the Athletics Championship, the Maui Cheer Allstars took home a bounty of awards—third place in Mini Level 1, second place in Junior Level 2, second place Senior Level 3, first place in Junior Level 1 and Overall Grand Championship award in the Junior Division.

Two other Allstars Teams represented Maui at the Athletic Championship—the Maui Cheer Babes and Hawaii Allstars from Kahului.

The Athletic Championship offered one paid, three at-large bids for the Summit and D2 Summit competitions in Tampa, which are presented to teams that have accumulated the highest point scores in the competition.

Maui’s teams—Maui Cheer Allstars, Maui Cheer Babes and Hawaii Allstars—took home the coveted Summit Bid and D2 Summit Bid awards. Each division—Youth, Junior and Senior—took home the Summit and D2 Summit Bids.