Former coach remains in the hearts of state champion Robinson cheerleaders

TAMPA — In the heart of Port Tampa, Tina Maiorana’s spirit remains as radiant as ever.

It’s as plain as the shimmering gold medals around her cheerleaders’ necks.

“Oh yeah,” team co-captain Ciara Alvarez said.

Less than 17 months after the shocking death of Maiorana, Robinson High’s 34-year-old cheerleading coach, the Knights captured the Class A large division state title Friday at Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Arena.

“The whole time before we went on, I was basically talking to her and telling her to be there with us so we could pull this out,” Alvarez said.

They did, narrowly. Employing a 2 1/2-minute routine they had performed only twice before, the Knights earned 73.3 points to edge runnerup Ponte Vedra (69.6). Afterward, Robinson’s 23-person contingent was presented with 24 medals.

One for each of the 21 cheerleaders, one each for coach Jeff Melesky and assistant Dawne Crosby, and one for Tina, who died in her South Tampa home in September 2010.

It will be sent to her mom in New York.

“I don’t let them forget about Tina at all,” Melesky said.

“The crazy thing is, I had nine girls on the team who were brand new. …Nine didn’t even know who Tina was, but the others always let them know. They all realized there’s a bigger thing here that’s helping us out.”

In this improbable season, medals were preceded by mettle  — lots of it.

Sensing that judges in Robinson’s regular-season meets weren’t overwhelmed by the Knights’ routine, Melesky decided to overhaul it roughly a week before the Western Conference championships.

“That’s kind of unheard of in the cheerleading world,” said Melesky, a former Virginia Tech cheerleader who previously coached at his alma mater and the University of Tampa. “But the girls were all about it and busted their tails on the routine and got it done.”

The renovated routine commenced with a cheer and hoisted placards spelling out K-N-I-G-H-T-S. A smorgasbord of tumbles, stunts and jumps — accompanied by music — followed before the Knights formed a pyramid.

They were in first place — two-tenths of a point ahead of Ponte Vedra — after the semifinals, then they rolled in the final round. No other county school won a title, though Steinbrenner (2A medium division) and Sickles (2A small co-ed) earned runnerup trophies.

“I told them all year long, in my 20 years in the cheerleading business, it’s probably the most talented group I’ve ever coached,” Melesky said.