The FCA Gems Diamonds all-star cheerleading squad has won numerous national championships.

Now it's out to conquer the world.

The 38-member senior competitive cheering squad, based at Flo's Gymnastics in Sarver, recently received a bid to compete in the third annual Cheerleading World Tournament April 21 to 24 in Orlando, Fla.

This event is presented by the U.S. All-Star Federation, the governing authority of 20 all star cheerleading companies nationwide.

Only 90 total squads from 21 countries will be in the world competition. Only one other team from Pennsylvania — a squad based in Harrisburg — has ever received a bid.

"Our preseason goal was to receive a bid to worlds," Diamonds coach Jen Watterson said. "But, after a while, we figured we weren't at that level and pretty much gave up on the idea.

"We entered nationals in Atlanta because it had the best teams and I wanted to see how we compared to the best."

The Diamonds had finished second in a competition only once in the past two years. FCA Gems Cheerleading, consisting of seven teams overall, swept a national tournament last year in Baltimore.

Watterson said that event consisted of northern cheerleading squads. The best squads are down south.

"We want to be the best team in the United States, not just up north," she said. "To get to that point, we had to measure up to the southern teams."

Off to Atlanta they went, and the coaches prepared the girls for a so-so finish among the 15 teams in the Large Senior (Level 5) Division.

"Our goal down there was to place among the top 10," Diamonds co-coach Beth Watterson Dittmer said.

"I would have settled for 14th — I just didn't want to finish last," Watterson said.

The Diamonds wound up second, losing out only to the Maryland Twisters, who won worlds last year. The Diamonds finished ahead of Kentucky Elite and California-based American Cheer, both of which competed at worlds.

When they received their second-place award, they were handed a bid to worlds.

"I'll never forget that feeling," said Lauren Morrison, a senior squad member from Freeport. "When Jen told us … I never felt so proud."

Morrison came to FCA Gems as an eighth-grader five years ago — the first year they had a competitive cheering program at Flo's Gymnastics.

Watterson and Dittmer, former Butler High School competitive cheerleaders, took over the program the following year.

"When we first started, we weren't very good at all," Morrison said. "Jen turned everything around."

FCA Gems began with one team and 25 girls. It has seven teams and 160 girls this year and expects to add another 100 girls and a pre-school squad next year.

Members of the Diamonds squad are from Butler, Knoch, Freeport, Deer Lakes, Plum, Kiski Area, Highlands, Shaler, Ford City and Burrell school districts.

Flo Iman Richey, owner of Flo's Gymnastics, is a Butler graduate and competed in gymnastics for the Golden Tornado. Lisa Ambrose, the facility's gymnastics coach, competed on two state championship gymnastics teams at Butler.

The Diamonds do an hour of gymnastics work each week, in addition to gymnastics practice on their own. They practice cheerleading two days a week and put in four- to five-hour sessions on Saturdays.

"These girls don't miss practice," Watterson said. "They've put all-star cheerleading first in their lives. They feel privileged to be on that team and want to work to keep their spot."

Jocelyn Nulph, a sophomore at Butler, was coached by Watterson as a youth cheerleader with the East Butler Bulldogs.

"We ran into each other one day and she told me I should come (to FCA Gems)," Nulph said. "Last year was my first year.

"We didn't have as much tumbling skill then as we do now. Our skills are constantly improving."

Diamonds cheerleader Macey Buzanoski, a freshman at Butler, was also part of the Tornado's recent second-place finish at Universal Cheerleading Association Nationals in Orlando, Fla.

She flew home from Orlando on a Tuesday and flew to Atlanta with her Diamond teammates Friday of that week.

"I got tired of the travel. I never get tired of the sport," Buzanoski said. "It's such a positive atmosphere. Our team thrives under pressure. We just pull together.

"It's a big honor to be on this (Diamonds) team. The other girls in the program look up to us. We're where the younger girls want to be."

The Diamonds must raise $25,000 by the end of March to pay for their trip to worlds. They are having a $20-per-plate fundraiser dinner March 26, at which the FCA Gems squads will perform. A cheer clinic will be held March 17-18 to assist in the fund-raising effort.

Call 724-353-9000 for details on those events.