THE PITTSBURGH SUPERMODELS ENJOY A SEASON OF RAISING MONEY FOR
CHARITY, AND NOW SET THEIR SIGHTS ON CHEERLEADING WORLDS.
To be a part of the Pittsburgh Supermodels, a cheerleader has
to be at least 12 years of age. Tryouts take place in the spring
of each year and each person is placed on a team based on age
and skill. The Pittsburgh Supermodels is a team comprised of
girls who travel all over Allegheny County and surrounding
areas. Additionally, the team welcomes five athletes who travel
from Ohio, West Virginia and Central Pennsylvania—driving
anywhere from two to three hours each way to be a part of the
all-star team.
The team competes anywhere from 10 to 14 times a season,
creating a two-minute and 30-second routine that is made up of
tumbling, stunting, jumping and dancing.
The Pittsburgh Supermodels are coached by Nicewarner. “I
started tumbling at a very young age,” she notes. “I studied in
an all-star gym my entire life and
decided to become a coach at a
very young age.” Nicewarner spent
a lot of time coaching high school
cheerleading in West Virginia and,
at age 30, became a gym leader and
started her own business.
This year’s St. Jude Live Event
at Cheersport was held in Atlanta
at the World Congress Center in
February. There were 18 teams
that participated in the fundraising
event, raising over $70,000. The
Pittsburgh Supermodels raised
a total of $11,900 for St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital.
“We raised the money
through social media,
posting different pictures
and facts on a weekly basis
on our Facebook page,”
says Nicewarner. “We also
had a coin war campaign in
the gym where the teams
competed against each
other to bring in the most
coins.” The team also had a
fundraiser at Chipotle and
a showcase at the gym to
perform and practice their
routines locally. “We are so
very grateful to our family,
friends and other gym
members for their support,”
Nicewarner adds.
In addition to the St. Jude
Live Event at Cheersport,
the Pittsburgh Supermodels participate in community charity
in many other ways. This season, they participated in the
Alzheimer’s Walk, collected donations to provide dinner
and gifts for a family of eight who lost their father just before
Christmas, collected and donated money, shoes and clothes for
an all-star gym in Louisiana that lost everything in a tornado,
and held a Pink-Out practice in October that raised money for
the Susan G. Komen Fund.
The Pittsburgh Supermodels take part in local competitions
in the Pittsburgh area and have also traveled to Columbus and
Cleveland as well as Charlotte to compete this year. They will be
wrapping up their season at the Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando
on April 29 and 30. ■
>> For more information, visit pittsburghsuperstars.com or search PGHSuperstars on Facebook and Twitter.
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