Oklahoma School for the Deaf wins national cheerleading competition

The cheerleading team at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf is back home as national champs.

They placed first at the national championship in New York over the weekend.

Parents beaming with pride

Angela Queen was excited to welcome her daughter Sara home Wednesday night in Tulsa. She said it's hard not to cry tears of joy every time she goes back to watch the cheer that won the championship.

"I was just so proud of her," said Queen. "She did a hands-free cartwheel and almost missed it, and I have a screenshot of her head like this close to the mat, and I was like, 'This is why mommas pray.'"

Cheerleaders celebrate win

Sara's team placed first in the division 2 national cheerleading championship and is also bringing home gold for an individual competition she won.

"It's just an awesome feeling to know that we actually did it, and after all the ups and downs that we accomplished," said Sara.

The individual competitions were on Friday and the group competition was on Saturday. After practicing all year, they had to adjust their routine at the last second.

"I had a lot of struggles and some mental blocks that I was experiencing, and I just didn't think I was gonna do well, but our team was very supportive," she said.

Cheering for years to come

Looking ahead, Sara hopes to continue cheering for years.

"I do love cheering; I've done it since sixth grade. So I do wanna continue to cheer throughout high school for sure," she said.

This was the third annual national cheerleading competition, and the first win for Oklahoma.