Cheerleaders jell together, show skills for Marisa Rose Bowl

Cheering in the Marisa Rose Bowl seemed like a fun and rewarding experience. Olivia Varga was definitely interested. However, she would be graduating from Metuchen High School and there’s always plenty of activities and time juggling in the summer before college. Plus, she didn’t cheer since the winter.

Her older sister Abigail, though, urged her to say yes for a simple reason – she never got the chance.

Organizers selected Abigail Varga after her senior year for the 2020 event, which got cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She was basically saying you only have this opportunity once,” Olivia said. “Like don’t miss it because she had the opportunity and it got taken away from her. She said you should always do anything for a good cause and it’s a fun time at the end of the day with everybody.”

And that sums up the true spirit of the two-week event that culminates with the July 21 intra-Middlesex County charity all-star football game at North Brunswick High School featuring recently graduated seniors.

Not only do you get to show off your tumbling skills and meet competitors from throughout the county, you’re also raising money for a worthy charity.

The game, formerly known as the Snapple Bowl and the Autoland Classic, is now sponsored by Bellamy Sons and Paving and proceeds benefit The Marisa Tufaro Foundation, whose mission is to assist pediatric patients and children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.

The 46 cheerleaders are split among Team Marisa and Team Rose. Really, it’s one squad. They practice together and learn the same sideline chants. They’ll also join for a halftime show that will be performed twice for both sides of the stands.

The game's head coach Colleen Meyers has everything down. She’s been involved since the second Snapple Bowl in 1994, the first that included cheerleaders. (The annual game was cancelled the last two years because of the pandemic.)

“There are two years of young ladies that unfortunately have missed out on this,” said Meyers after the first practice on Monday. “I’m just glad that we are back. We’re definitely going to be the Middlesex County team that everybody knows and loves and day one has been fantastic. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish on day two through six.”

The four coaches are installing nine different formations with tumbling and jumping sequences for a 2 minute, 30 second halftime show. There are also 30 chants for sideline cheers with 10 for offense, 10 for defense and 10 for anytime during the game.

The high skill level of the cheerleaders makes it easier to teach and the camaraderie and chemistry quickly gets developed.

“The wonderful thing is that they’re so used to learning so fast,” said Meyers, who retired as Spotswood’s cheerleading coach last summer after 28 years. “These girls, they’re pros by the time that they’re graduating high school and they’re used to rigor in learning things very fast and adapting very fast.”

In Monday’s first practice, Meyers called on four schools to contribute chants. Piscataway, Metuchen, New Brunswick and Spotswood all came forward with ideas and their own spin with the footwork and terminology.

Assistant coach Sara Yocum said the cheerleaders from the various programs all clicked with no cliques.

“I think they’re all kind of in the same boat,” said Yocum, the Metuchen head coach. “They just graduated high school. They’re excited to represent their towns and there’s also a little bit of nervousness because they’re not sure what to expect exactly, so I kind of think that makes them all bond and I would say that the Middlesex County cheerleading circle is not too, too big. Everyone kind of knows each other either from the games or the competitions so there’s definitely a lot of familiar faces.”

Many of the cheerleaders cringed with soreness after the first jumps at Monday practice.

Meyers asked, “How long has it been?”

“A long time.”

“Six months.”

She responded, “Get it over with now.”

Old Bridge’s Julia Leonhardt noted that after doing each new chant five times it was easy to get the hang of it.

“It seems like it’s a nice fundraiser to be a part of and it seems really special to everyone that’s involved,” she said. “I’m proud to be a part of this.”

Edison’s Rylie Abrams added the muscle memory kicks in.

“I feel like I haven’t cheered in so long,” she said. “It was nice to have one last chance.

“I just like that you get to meet a lot of new people and I feel like you have your team, but everyone in the cheer community kind of knows each other, especially in Middlesex.”

Meyers noted that through the years several sisters have performed in the game and others have gone on to coach at Middlesex high schools.

The game’s other coaches are Darlene Drum, the former head coach at South River and a coach with the South Brunswick middle school; Georgeann Larsen, the South Plainfield cheerleading coach and Yocum, who cheered herself under Larsen at South Plainfield.

Then there’s people with relatives who cheered in the county like Vargas. Olivia joked that her sister was a little jealous that she’s getting a chance to cheer in the bowl.

“She’s still not over the fact that she wasn’t able to do it because she was obviously so excited to do it,” Olivia said with a laugh, “but she’s happy for me because I can do it. It’s like I’m taking her spot almost because she never got the chance to. I’m just real excited. I can’t wait to do it.”

In past years, the game pitted Middlesex County against Union County. Now, it’s just all Middlesex participants.

“I think that’s just building up that awesome mentality that this is a family event and our cheer family is not against each other," Meyers said. "We’re working with each other towards this common goal which is to raise money for Marisa Tufaro Foundation. Usually cheerleaders get competitive in the same way that football teams get competitive and we always had a goal to be the strongest team. We wanted to represent Middlesex County very well.

“One united Middlesex and united for a cause in honor of a beautiful young lady. You can’t get anything better than that.”

Bellamy and Sons Marisa Rose Bowl

When/where: July 21, North Brunswick High School, 7 p.m.

Who/what: Recently graduated football players and cheerleaders from Middlesex County high schools will participate in an intra-county charity all-star game with all proceeds benefiting the Marisa Tufaro Foundation.

About the game: Formerly known as the Snapple Bowl and Autoland Classic, the contest has raised $715,000 for charity since its inception in 1994.

Practice schedule: Practices will be held at North Brunswick High School July 11-14 and July 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on July 18 at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A walk-through for July 20 is TBD.

Game Tickets: Can be purchased for $10 at the gate on game night or at any of the practices.

About The Marisa Tufaro Foundation: Since its inception less than five years ago, the nonprofit has donated a quarter of a million dollars to assist pediatric patients and underserved children throughout the greater Middlesex County area. The foundation has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value. The nonprofit has awarded $26,500 in academic scholarships to 38 Middlesex County high school graduates.

About Marisa Rose Tufaro: Marisa survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing to a rare form of cancer in 2017 following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old. Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctor’s appointments, she lived a vibrant life that inspired.

Marisa Rose Bowl Banquet: Will be held at the Pines Manor in Edison on July 20 at 6 p.m.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Cheerleaders jell together, show skills for Marisa Rose Bowl