Framingham Cheerleaders Place 2nd in Global Competition

FRAMINGHAM, MA - Three Framingham cheerleaders and their team placed second in a global cheering competition held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Amani Rivera, Kaylani Santana and Yednelis Santana (the two are not related) are part of the Bay State Frost cheer team. Frost came in second at the Varsity All Star Summit Cheer Championship which is a huge accomplishment because only 10 percent of about 9,000 teams make it into the competition.

"I'm really proud of my team," Kaylani, who is 11 years old, told Patch.

Kaylani used to watch cheerleaders from the sidelines of football games and always wanted to give it a shot. Now cheering is one of her favorite activities.

"I love putting my heart on the mat," she said. "I love the sport so much and I would never want to do any other sport."

The team practiced tirelessly before the competition and even had long practices on Saturdays.

"I feel really good because we worked really hard," Amani, who is 10, told Patch. "I've had six spinal surgeries so being able to do this sport is amazing."