Vienna Youth Cheerleading Places In First Competition In 10 Years

VIENNA, VA — Vienna Youth Inc. Cheerleading participated in a competition for the first time in over a decade last weekend, with both teams placing to win awards.

Two teams from VYI Cheerleading competed in the Alexandria Holiday Invitational at Alexandria City High School on Sunday. The Vienna Diamonds Pee Wee level 1 team placed third, and the Vienna Red Diamonds Youth Level 1 team tied for second place, marking the first tie in this competition's history.

Melissa Pechulis, a coach and assistant commissioner for VYI Cheerleading, said the program participated in recreational cheerleading competitions in the past, but the last one was 11 years ago. That makes the top awards even more significant for the Vienna cheerleaders.

"Every girl, except for one, had never competed in cheerleading before. They were all new to this," Pechulis told Patch.

Videos of the VYI Cheerleading teams' performances are available on the VYI website.

To prepare for the cheer competition, cheerleaders practiced every week for two months and increased the frequency closer to the event. A performance night during halftime of the girls varsity basketball game at Madison High School on Dec. 12 also gave them extra preparation time. Other practice locations have included Stenwood Elementary, the Vienna Community Center, SYA Extreme Cheer gym, and the Vienna Adventist Church.

"We had coaches with cheer knowledge and background to help lead them, including two coaches who were high school students from Madison HS and part of the team that recently went to states for cheerleading," said Pechulis.

VYI Cheerleading, a youth cheerleading program serving girls and boys from kindergarten to eighth grade, runs each fall. Until this season, the cheerleading program only ran as a sideline program to VYI Football. In the latest season, 174 children participated in the sideline program, and 34 were in the new competition program. Another milestone for the program first male cheerleader for the first time that Pechulis can recall.

Pechulis says sideline cheerleading is what people typically think of cheerleading as — cheering on a football team or another sports team from the sidelines. The competition side is a more acrobatic-focused program where cheerleaders will stunt, tumble and dance to a routine. The coach says some kids prefer one or the other or like to try both.

"It is great for kids to be able to experience both types as both are part of high school cheerleading and a great way to get into the sport," saids Pechulis.

While the program largely serves Vienna, it has enrolled participants from Falls Church, Fairfax and McLean to as far as Manassas, Sterling and Alexandria.

While VYI Cheerleading's fall season is over, it will offer sideline and competitive programs again in 2026. Signups for sideline cheerleading will start on May 1, 2026. The program is a low-cost option for families, and financial aid is available to those in need.