Norman-Based Cheer Squad For Children With Disabilities Wins The National Championship

One local cheer team just put Oklahoma on the map by winning the 2020 NCA National Cheer Championships in Dallas, Texas.

They're called the Shining Starz. Not just because they're winners but because when they perform, they light up the room.

After years of training and competing, the ‘Shining Starz’ can now proudly call themselves National Champions!

The Norman based team created 11 years ago is made up of about 17 kids between the ages of 6 and 21 who have varying mental or physical disabilities.

After finishing second in the Special Needs division in the national cheerleading competition last year they decided as a team that 2020 was going to be theirs. With this year’s big win, it could only mean that the stars were perfectly aligned.

“It was beautiful. It was emotional. It was exciting. It was a lot of things,” said Stephanie De Falco. Her daughter Kyah has been a flyer on the Shining Starz cheer team for four years.

De Falco said this year’s win proves there are no limits to what people can do when they work for it and when they believe in themselves.

"I hope that it inspires other kids and their parents and families to get out and do whatever they want, regardless of their disability or ability level,” she said. “When they go out and work hard, they realize they can achieve the same things that other typical kids can.”