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Watch the full championship performance from the George Washington high school cheerleading team

On Day 1 of the competition, they sat in sixth place. It all came down to a Sunday performance that would make up 75% of their score.

Coaches Veronica Hayes, left, and Michele Sorkin-Socki cheer on their team while they perform their second and final routine for the judges and crowd at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas on Sunday Jan. 22, 2023. The George Washington High School cheer team became the first Philadelphia School District cheerleaders in history to qualify for nationals.
Coaches Veronica Hayes, left, and Michele Sorkin-Socki cheer on their team while they perform their second and final routine for the judges and crowd at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas on Sunday Jan. 22, 2023. The George Washington High School cheer team became the first Philadelphia School District cheerleaders in history to qualify for nationals.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

Philadelphia officials had already declared the George Washington High cheer team “our city’s national champions,” but the team headed to Dallas for the National Cheerleaders Association High School Nationals feeling like they had much to prove.

The team — 15 young women and men, many of whom work part time and have responsibilities at home — were able to compete after Inquirer readers donated $30,000 to get the squad across the country.

» READ MORE: They’re Philly’s first district cheer squad to qualify for nationals. Here’s what happened when they competed for the title.

On Day 1 of the competition, they sat in sixth place. It all came down to a Sunday performance that would make up 75% of their score.

Here’s what George Washington showed the world when it mattered most.