Iowa Elite cheer squad wins national title

Iowa Elite Cheer may not have as large a talent pool to choose from as cheerleading programs in Atlanta or Memphis, but they still have talent.

The squad notched third place and top honors in the 2011 National and International All Star Cheerleading Championships, held March 12 and 13 in Orlando.

“If we're going to do this, we are going to compete against the best,” said Todd Slezak, owner and founder of Iowa Elite Cheer.

The two teams of 61 athletes, ages 12-18,  brought home a Level 3 Senior Co-Ed National Championship trophy and a Senior Level 2 third place trophy, adding to the awards the team already netted at this year's regional competitions. 

Slezak said the kids remained

focused during the competition, but still had time to celebrate their win and have some fun at the Disney parks.