By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(April 9, 2026)  Just a year after its formation, a cheerleading program in Berlin is heading to Florida for the Allstar World Championship to compete against teams across the United States and beyond.

Clique Athletics was launched by owners and coaches Nikaletta Martin, Jamie Ferguson, and Monicia Young last May. The program is registered with the competitive cheer event organization, Open Championship Series, and welcomes cheerleaders of all skill levels, aged 4 to 18, to participate in classic cheer components: tumbling, stunting, choreography, and conditioning.

These skills are tested at least once a month when the teams head to local, regional, or national competitions, where they perform their two-and-a-half-minute routines.

According to Martin, Clique Athletics has a total of 33 cheerleaders across a novice group and two elite teams. Both elite squads competed in a two-day contest in Nashville, Tennessee earlier this month, where they earned first place on both days against three to five other teams each.

“Getting to compete against some of the best teams in the whole United States is really a great experience,” Martin said. “And then you get to learn from them. You can see, ‘they’re doing this, let me see if I can do that next year.’”

 The cheerleaders also compete in more local competitions. Martin said that for contests closer to home, often around Upper Marlboro, Maryland, they go to around two a month. For those involving travel, the squads will keep it to one a month.

The coach added that the teams have won all but one of the competitions they’ve attended during their first season.

Now, the Berlin cheerleaders will head to Orlando, Florida, for the Allstar World Championship, scheduled for April 16 to April 19. The local athletes will compete against high-performing squads from throughout the US and internationally.

Clique Athletics earned a paid bid for the contest, meaning that they competed in eligible events hosted by the Open Championship Series and earned high scores.

Martin said that the Berlin-based competition team was launched to “create a positive and empowering space for young athletes.”

“We also wanted to bring more positive after-school activities to the area since there aren’t many around…We saw an opportunity to provide high-quality training while also focusing on personal growth and life skills,” she added.

The coaches also hope that the program will help the young cheerleaders foster character development and self-assurance.

“Our athletes are encouraged to build confidence and practice leadership and support one another on and off the mat,” Martin said. “And we hope these lessons will have a lasting impact far beyond the sport itself. This is just the beginning for us, and I’m excited to see how much we can grow and how many lives we can positively impact.”