DOVER, Fla. — In his first year of cheering, Justin Pulaski was able to be a part of a team that accomplished more than any other squad in Hillsborough County.
“I wanted to make history. Just like the rest of the team," said Pulaski, who is a senior.
“When I first joined the cheer team, I was still playing football. And when I started cheering, when I went out to football practice, it wasn’t the same. Like, we didn’t have that same passion to win,” explained Pulaski.
By the end of the summer, he had made his decision and texted the football coach that he would not be returning for his fourth and final year on the team.
“He texted my dad. He didn’t believe me. So he texted my dad and he was like, ‘You know your son is quitting the football team?’ And my dad was like, ‘Yup. He’s quitting.’ My dad was for it. All for it," said Pulaski. “They just want to see me do the best I can do. And this is for sure where it happened.
The team put in countless hours during practice, and all of the work came down to just two minutes and thirty seconds on the national stage.
Head coach Loveny Rivas Savarino with assistant coaches Anthony Medina and Vince Mele watched their kids make history as the first team in Hillsborough County to take home a national title.
“It was so emotionally crazy at that moment to think, we did it. Like we as a team, coming from Dover, Florida, we did it," said coach Savarino.
Even though the team’s season is done for this school year, the title and lessons will stay.
“I really respect them as coaches because they gave me something I will never have taken from me. And that’s the ability to tackle life," said Pulaski.
“These kids mean a lot to us as coaches. And like I said, it’s more than coming in and teaching these kids the skills that’s needed," explained Savarino. “It’s teaching them. Hey, be positive. Because a positive outlook is positive energy. And that positive energy can open up doors to your future that you don’t know about.”
Justin was approached by a number of college cheer coaches at nationals and he intends to cheer next year at whichever school he attends.
As for Strawberry Crest, their win was a close one. They beat out the second-place team by one-fourth of a point.
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