CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

World Cup Jupiter, a special-needs cheerleading team in Lancaster County, is 'like a family'

Intelligencer Journal - 12/19/2019

Each Friday, when the World Cup Jupiter team takes the mat, spirit shines.

Members of the mixed-age, coed cheerleading squad dance as they wait to start their routine. They hug and high-five as they finish it.

And throughout the hour, they smile. A lot.

Numerous members of the team have autism.

Kaylie Bachman-Bair, 8, of Lancaster, has a rare disorder called achondroplasia characterized by short stature.

Benessia Patton, 23, of Millersville, has had six surgeries on her heart and two on her hips. She also has autism.

In Jupiter they find a physical outlet, acceptance and joy.

“Pure excitement” is how Kaylie’s mother, Diana Bachman, describes her daughter at cheer practice.

“She loves to do stuff in front of people,” Bachman said, noting that Kaylie also cheers with her school’s team.

“It’s awesome to be here every week,” said Willow Street resident Carly Long, 26, who uses a wheelchair.

Alex Antes, a 9-year-old Manheim Township boy diagnosed last year with autism and ADHD, agrees.

“You, like, do like stunts and, like, acrobatics and it’s like cheerleading,” Alex said. “You get to also play games.”

“It’s very much like a family at this point,” said Alex,’s mother, Shannon Antes. She noted that they have tried more structured activities like soccer and T-ball in the past, and this cheer team has proved a better fit.

Practice lasts an hour, and Jennifer Miller said she spends almost twice that time on the round trip from her York County home because it’s so helpful for her 8-year-old daughter, Karla, who has autism.

------------

How it started

Dave Haldeman, a 43-year-old Mountville man who works at Wegmans, started the group in February.

About 15 participants now attend regularly at Spooky Nook Lanco in East Petersburg; Haldeman gave the cheer program there big kudos for providing free practice time for the team.

He said the idea came from his time as a personal care assistant to two children who had autism, and from his family’s involvement in the world of cheerleading.

His family is active with other World Cup teams — daughters Alexis, 15, and Brooke, 12, as part of other squads and wife Heather as coach of other teams — and help with Haldeman’s squad.

Additionally, a handful of girls from other cheer teams volunteer their time to help with World Cup Jupiter.

Kimberly Miller of Millersville has lots of praise for the all the crew members, who have created an environment that her daughter, Patton, looks forward to every week.

“Better than a treadmill,” Patton said. Her actions during practice are more effusive, with her enjoyment obvious as she interacts warmly with her coaches and teammates.

“She loves the girls; they are so wonderful with her,” Miller said. She noted Patton’s surgeries have not dampened her enthusiasm for cheerleading.

“She’ll take a couple of Motrin before she comes so it doesn’t hurt her, but it doesn’t stop her,” Miller said. “She wants to be out there with her friends.”

------------

No fee to join

Haldeman said there’s no charge to be on the team, and he’s looking into setting up a nonprofit to accept donations for uniforms and event fees, for which parents currently fundraise.

The team isn’t cheering competitively at this point, but has performed exhibitions at several cheer competitions.

The most recent was Sunday, at Spooky Nook Sports, where team members donned new T-shirts before launching energetically into jumps, forward rolls and pyramids.

“When they’re done it’s like a standing ovation, coming out to cheer them on,” Antes said of the crowd’s reaction.

“You’ll see some parents crying. The kids just get very excited,” Haldeman said, struggling to describe what he feels in those moments and noting that sometimes it gives him chills. “The emotion from the kids is what it’s all about.”

------------

More info

The team practices Fridays from 6 to 7 p.m. Anyone interested in joining the team or supporting it can email Dave Haldeman at dhaldeman01@comcast.net.

Crédito: HEATHER STAUFFER | Staff Writer