AUBURN #- For the girls in the Auburn Indians Pop Warner cheerleading program, it's been a long season, but that certainly has its advantages.

The Junior Pee Wee and Pee Wee squads are both on their way to Trenton, N.J. on Nov. 14, where they will compete for a chance to go on to national competition in Orlando, Fla.

But it has been a long road for the 46 girls that make up both teams.

“Practices started on August 4,” Junior Pee Wee coach Kristin Vitale said. “And they cheered through all the games and everything and it has been a lot of hard work by all of them this season.”

Vitale's squad, comprised of 30 girls, and the Pee Wee squad, coached by Amy Farrelly, put in a lot of time and effort before the season began.

“They were here doing the games and practicing two times week,” Vitale said. “It is a really big commitment from them at this age and they all really came through and did the work and it has paid off.”

In October, both squads hit the local tournament in Syracuse, where they both showed they've built up some strong routines and chemistry as teams.

The Pee Wee squad earned a third-place finish in Syracuse, while the junior took home the first-place spot. These strong performances earned both teams the opportunity to go on to state qualifiers in Albany a week later, where again the Pee Wees took third and the Junior Pee Wees took first place.

“I'm so proud of all of them,” Vitale said. “It was a lot of hard work and these girls all really did work hard and they went out there and did a great job. I'm so proud of all of them.”

Vitale has been working with 22 of the members of her team for the past five years and through those seasons, the girls have built up a strong team chemistry.

“We have girls from all over - Auburn, Weedsport, Elbridge,” Vitale said. “They don't go to school together or anything really, but they have all become great friends working together here.”

When the girls found out how well they had done in Albany after such as strong performance in Syracuse, they were amazed.

“It was like a dream come true,” Lexi Vitale, 9, said. “It was a lot of hard work and winning in Albany was really like a dream come true.”

Vitale said there is a lot the judges look for during these qualifying competitions, such as voice, choreography, crowd participation, tumbling and style.

Knowing this, Vitale began working with the girls early in the season to prepare for competitions.

“We knew early on what we needed to do,” Vitale said. “You do a two-and-a-half minute performance with cheer and dance portions. So we had an idea of what we wanted to do and we put in a lot of time working on that.”

With the trip to New Jersey set to take place Nov. 14 to 16, the girls have stepped up their practice schedule, getting together three times a week to prepare and hone their skills for the chance to go on to Florida.

It has been a quite a few years since an Auburn team has gone to nationals, but Vitale believes this year's teams have a good shot.

“They have a lot of confidence,” Vitale said. “I like to see that. That is one of the great things about cheerleading, it builds confidence. I think they will do really well.”

A feeling that is reflected by members of the team, a team that is eager to get to New Jersey and beyond.

“It is exciting,” Mikayla Hermann, 11, said. “It is awesome we have done so well. I think we have a good routine and we can do really good together as a team.”