LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION congratulating the Mohonasen High School Varsity
Cheerleaders upon the occasion of capturing the Reach the Beach High
School Cheerleading Championship in the Advanced Sanctioned Division on
February 27, 2016

WHEREAS, Excellence and success in competitive sports can be achieved
only through strenuous practice, team play and team spirit, nurtured by
dedicated coaching and strategic planning; and
WHEREAS, Athletic competition enhances the moral and physical develop-
ment of the young people of this State, preparing them for the future by
instilling in them the value of teamwork, encouraging a standard of
healthy living, imparting a desire for success and developing a sense of
fair play and competition; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to congratulate the
Mohonasen High School Varsity Cheerleaders upon the occasion of captur-
ing the Reach the Beach High School Cheerleading Championship for the
second consecutive time in the Advanced Sanctioned Division in Ocean
City, Maryland, on Saturday, February 27, 2016; and
WHEREAS, In April of 2013, the New York State Board of Regents
announced that cheerleading would be officially recognized as a sport;
and
WHEREAS, After their stellar victory in Maryland, the Mohonasen Varsi-
ty Cheerleaders traveled to Syracuse, New York, on Saturday, March 5,
2016, to compete in the inaugural New York State Public High School
Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) state-level Cheerleading Championship;
and
WHEREAS, The team was able to advance to the competition after winning
the D2 large division at Sectional Championships; and
WHEREAS, At the statewide competition, the Mohonasen High School
Varsity Cheerleaders competed in a morning preliminary session and
successfully advanced to the final Championship round where they secured
a fifth-place ranking overall in the D2 large division; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Mohonasen High School senior, Amy DeMento was
presented with the award for Best Sportsmanship; and
WHEREAS, The athletic talent displayed by these cheerleaders is due in
great part to the efforts of Coach Jess Rapp, a skilled and inspira-
tional tutor, respected for her ability to develop potential into excel-
lence; and
WHEREAS, Athletically and academically, the team members have proven
themselves to be an unbeatable combination of talents, reflecting favor-
ably on their school; and
WHEREAS, Sports competition instills the values of teamwork, pride and
accomplishment, and Coach Jess Rapp and the outstanding athletes of the
Mohonasen High School Varsity Cheerleading Team have clearly made a
contribution to the spirit of excellence which is a tradition of their
school; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate the Mohonasen High School Varsity Cheerleading Team upon
the occasion of capturing the Reach the Beach High School Cheerleading
Championship in the Advanced Sanctioned Division on February 27, 2016;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Mohonasen High School Varsity Cheerleading Team and to
Coach Jess Rapp.