Washington will be represented this weekend at The Summit All-Star Cheerleading Championship at the World Showplace Pavilion at Walt Disney World. Tumble B Gym is sending two teams — the Washington Elite Youth ShowStoppers and Washington Elite Senior Queens to compete on the national stage.

The teams consist of 36 athletes. Each team performs a two-and-a-half-minute, professionally choreographed routine. The youth team is made up of girls ages 9 to 11 and the seniors range from 15 to 18 years old. This weekend marks the ShowStoppers’ return to The Summit and the senior team’s debut.

“We practice every Tuesday and we normally go all out in practice,” said Senior Queen Grace Paszt, who is happy to see all her hard work paying off. “Our main goal is to hit. … Hopefully we will hit and make it to the second day.”

It’s also a highlight of the year for the youth squad, which had the chance to compete last year. They’re excited to do their part in putting Washington gymnastics on the map.

“I’m really excited because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” ShowStopper Melony Hodges said. “It’s a really big privilege for a small gym like us. … I think it’s really cool because we’ve been trying our hardest since we first came here.”

The young athletes aren’t the only ones thrilled to see the fruits of their hard work. Many of the parents will make the trip with them to cheer them on. Even more so than that, the parents are thrilled with all the benefits that coincide with gymnastics and all-star cheerleading.

“I think what it’s done for Marlee is it’s shown her commitment, discipline, how to really support and lift up her teammates when they’re feeling down,” said Helen Masten, who’s daughter Marlee is a member of the senior team. “It’s shown her that they have to pull together as one unit.”

Pam Shadle added, “It teaches them discipline. Life is hard and not everything comes easy. You’ve got to work hard. There’s going to be disappointments. How they respond to it is what matters.”

The two Tumble B teams earned their bid to compete for the national championship back in January at the Athletic Championship in Concord. They walked away with two of the three bids that were given out by earning the highest scores of any team in their division, which consists of about 40 teams.

Now their sights are set on making an impression under the bright lights. The goal is to take all their work and show the country what Washington, N.C. can do.

“They have around 1,000 teams this year,” coach Misty Brown said. “We’re just super proud of the kids and all the hard work and dedication they’ve put in this year. We’ve had some tribulations, had to rework some things and fix problems, so we’re excited about it all.”