Madeline Slaton was amazed how far cheerleading could take her.
After earning All-American honors last year from the Universal Cheerleaders Association, the Camden Catholic High School senior ended up in Hawaii as part of the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu.
“You spend the whole week bonding with cheerleaders from across the country,” Slaton said. “I spent a lot of time there with my parents and made some friends.”
Slaton earned that opportunity by competing at a three-day camp in 2024 at Monmouth University and placing in the top 12 percent. She achieved All-American status along with 2025 Camden Catholic graduate Alexandria Irvin, who is now on the acrobatics team at Caldwell College.
Having two All-American cheerleaders in the same year from Camden Catholic was certainly an accomplishment. But the Irish obliterated that number this year as nine of its athletes received All-American status over the summer. The camp was held at Camden Catholic, and the Irish sent 20 cheerleaders to try out with nine hitting that top 12 percent category.
“It was really exciting,” said senior Lauren DeLano, who attended Saint Rose of Lima School, Haddon Heights, with Slaton as a youngster. “Even though it’s early in the season, our team has made great progress. We’re so proud of all of our girls that tried out. It’s not easy to put yourself out there. And we had someone from every grade try out.”
Alongside DeLano and Slaton with All-American recognition are juniors Lucia Schlett, Madalyn O’Neill and Jillian Arnot, sophomores Sophia Hernandez and Madeline Oehler, and freshmen Kathryn O’Connor and Casey McGettigan.
McGettigan, a recent graduate of Saint John Paul II Regional School in Stratford, nailed her competition, which came as somewhat of a surprise to herself.
“At first, I didn’t think it was my name that got called,” McGettigan said with a laugh. “I was a little hesitant to go up. But I think it’s a really cool opportunity to have my freshman year.”
Athletes are chosen based on superior technique, skill and leadership qualities during their routine. Three judges from the Universal Cheerleaders Association determine the winners.
“For me, it was really scary because I’m not a very social person,” McGettigan admitted. “But we went up in groups … [which] was definitely a lot easier. I didn’t really expect to make it. I just did it for fun.”
The fun now will be deciding if each athlete wants to partake in unlocked opportunities, like cheering at a national college football bowl game.
“Once you get named All-American, you have all these different travel and performing opportunities,” Slaton said
DeLano agreed. “There’s one that our whole team qualified for by attending the camp and being a trophy-winning team. We are invited to cheer at the [Cheez-It Citrus Bowl] in Orlando this year.”
There’s also an opportunity to go to Pearl Harbor like Slaton experienced last year. That also included a tour of the USS Missouri, which is now a museum.
“You spend the day there and learn the history so you know exactly what you are cheering for,” Slaton said. “And the parade itself [is] pretty rewarding because you’re in the streets that are filled with people and so many little kids that are so excited to see you.”
The Camden Catholic cheerleading team earns that same admiration every weekend, cheering on the Irish football team.
“I love this part of it,” DeLano said when the Irish hosted Neumann-Goretti High School on Sept. 6. “I grew up in a youth cheerleading program and got to cheer through my middle school. This was my ‘I made it’ moment freshman year when I was finally on the sidelines. There is nothing that competes with a Friday night. Friday night lights have been my favorite thing since I can remember.”
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