Special-needs cheerleaders bring spirit to state competition

Some nights Patsy Dinwiddie catches her daughter Kristin in front of the bathroom mirror — her arms held up high in the shape of a V and a look of deep concentration on her face.

Dinwiddie smiles as she watches her 43-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome, practice her cheerleading routine. Though Kristin cannot speak and is unable to call out cheers, she has nevertheless found her passion.

“My daughter eats, sleeps and breathes cheerleading,” Patsy Dinwiddie said. “This is the best thing she’s ever done.”

Saturday, Kristin Dinwiddie and the nine other members of Hilton Head’s Island Special Team, a competitive cheerleading squad for adults with disabilities, will defend their reputation as one of the best squads in South Carolina. The team, whose members are ages 19 to 57, will travel to Florence to compete in the Diamond Cheer & Dance Competition against other special-needs cheerleaders from around the state.

At one of their final practices this week, the pressure was on to perfect their routine.

“Hurry, hurry!” called Coach Julie Dafler to her cheerleaders. The team members pumped their arms with determination in a mad scramble to get in place for the most difficult part of their routine: the lifts.

With an ease the group has learned through hours of practice, they hoist two members into the air and hold for applause.

The team has come a long way since Dafler founded the program 12 years ago.

Back then, the cheerleaders wore Polo shirts and pants for competition —far from the professional pink and red cheerleading uniforms they have today, dotted with rhinestones, funded with help from the Special Olympics.

“I think I hold them to a higher standard than some of the activities they are in,” Dafler said. “We always push them to be better.”

Over the years, the group has built a reputation in the cheerleading world, winning second place last year in the special needs division in one of the largest cheerleading competitions in the world, Cheersport National in Atlanta. The team beat out 20 other competitors for the prize.

“We never thought this would be such a big thing when we started,” said Dafler, whose daughters help coach and choreograph the routines. “But the team has really helped raise my kids. Whenever it’s practice day, I know I’m going to have a good day because I get to see my team.”

Cheerleader Nadia Maldanado, who gives hugs to her coaches both at the beginning and end of every practice, said she loves cheerleading because she gets to spend time with her best friends.

“I am so proud,” said Maldanado. “God blesses me a lot to get to go to the cheerleading competition with my friends.”

Coach Cindi Faulkner, whose daughter Tiffany is on the team, said sometimes other teams will give the Island Special Team a standing ovation at competitions.

“I get chills just thinking about those moments,” Faulkner said. “You can just tell they’re so proud of what they’ve done.”

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Special-needs cheerleaders bring spirit to state competition."