RHAM Cheer Hits New Heights

RHAM High School cheerleading placed 3rd at the Class M state championships at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on March 4. It was the highest the program has ever finished at the state competition, advancing the Raptors to the New England Regionals in Massachusetts for the first time.  

RHAM High School’s cheerleading team reached the New England Regionals for the first time in program history, placing 6th overall at the multi-state competition at Worcester State University on March 18.    

The trip to regionals ended another banner year for the Raptors, who won a second straight Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) championship and finished first in the New England Cheerleaders Association (NECA) Open Championships.

The Raptors also placed 3rd overall at the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class M state finals — the highest finish in program history. 

Head coach Danielle Levasseur said the key to the success was the team approaching competition season with a relaxed, fun-loving attitude. . 

“I think it really helped calm some nerves and helped the team have consistently clean and solid routines,” stated Levasseur, a 2012 graduate of RHAM High School. “We are so proud of all of the hard work they put in this season and we are excited to see them continue to excel next season.”

Coaching the team with Lavasseur were Ali Goode and Isabelle Goode, sister who were also RHAM graduates.  

Lavasseur and Ali Goode had previously cheered together at RHAM before returning to program and coaching the team to conference title a season ago. This year, the duo welcomed in the younger Goode sister, who is a 2022-graduate of Boston University where she cheered for the Division I Terriers the previous four years.

Ali Goode said her younger sibling provided a new perspective, crediting her with challenging both the team and the coaches.    

“She brought a whole different level of expertise,” added Ali Goode, “The kids really latched on to a lot of things that she was teaching them and they took it and ran with it. They blew us out of the water.”

Despite each coach having hectic schedules, the three longtime friends made it work. 

“It was a lot of fun,” Ali Goode said of the coaching trio. “Creatively we worked together and were able to bounce ideas off each other.” 

Mia Tyler, the Raptors’ only senior, was an extension of the coaching staff. 

Tyler called cheer her “happy place” and said the last four years have been full of challenges, but the ending couldn’t have
been any better.  

“I was honestly so glad the season did go on for a few extra weeks, not because I get to tell people I went to New Englands for cheer, but because I truly did not want the season to end,” stated Tyler, who added it was emotional once it was over. “I have been a part of the program through all the ups and downs, virtual practices, cheering at soccer games when football wasn’t allowed to be played, and I enjoyed every second of it.”

Tyler was in a unique position because she was the only cheerleader that had been with the program prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which put significant restrictions on high school cheerleading for nearly two full seasons. 
 
It was both the big and little things that Tyler helped with this year. Being a senior, she was the only cheerleading member that had participated in an in-person school pep rally because the previous years had been cancelled or virtual. 

“Mia was able to step up and guide everyone else through it,” said Ali Goode. “She has a lot of spirit and she really thrived in the leadership role.” 

Helping captain the team was Paige Cavalieri, a junior who was named All-CCC. 

Tyler said Cavalieri was the ideal co-captain, calling her “the greatest support anyone could ask for.”

Cavalieri is part of a large junior class that also featured fellow all-conference selection Dani Poudrier, who was also named team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). 

Other team awards this season were the Coaches Award, presented to Kiley Foley, and Most Improved Award, given to Lauren Heffernan.

Foley, Brianna Kjellquist, Olivia Arcari, and Emma Bernier earned All-Academic honors.  

“This is probably one of the most talented teams that we have had,” said Ali Goode. “They have a great baseline level of talent and ability.”

Goode added that the team gained confidence with each passing competition, saying, “We gave them hard material and every time we presented them with something difficult they mastered it a lot faster than we expected them to.” 

Next season the team should again be stacked with talent with 14 of 15 cheerleaders returning.

The one exception will be Tyler, who will attend Springfield College and is leaving the program in good hands after helping guide them through a historic season.  

​“I’ll miss all my girls the most, especially those I have seen grow and develop into amazing cheerleaders,” said Tyler, who also thanked her coaches. “The team was amazing to be on and I’m so glad I get to say I’m a RHAM varsity cheer alumni.”