More than 100 southwest Michigan and northern Indiana area children and teenagers will take part in the Young Champions national cheerleading competition Saturday at the Orleans arena in Las Vegas.

And when all is said and done, Niles Elite Cheerleading hopes to come home with what would be its 14th national title.

“We start preparing for nationals at our first practice in September,” said director and head coach Jami Mason. “Skill building is a constant thing for us. Most of the routines they will be performing are upgraded versions of the routines with which they competed in June at the state championship.

“We were able to take all first and second places there, so with some improvements our staff is very hopeful for their chances at nationals,” Mason said.

Niles Elite Cheerleading is a competitive program that includes children ages 4 to 18 from southwest Michigan and northern Indiana.

“Any child that wants to cheer can cheer,” said Tree Vandygriff, parent of two Niles Elite cheerleaders and head of the travel and fundraising for the group.

The cheerleaders include boys and girls from Edwardsburg, Niles, Dowagiac, Bridgman, Brandywine Community Schools, South Bend and Mishawaka.

Mason said participants learn routines comprised of dance, tumbling, stunting and tosses.

Along with athletic skill, both Mason and Vandygriff say these cheerleaders are learning life skills as well.

“I feel very blessed to say that the impact the program has had on many of our athletes has been remarkable,” Mason said. “I’m a pretty strong believer in setting the bar high for these kids because at least 95 percent of the time, they’ll reach it. We see this to be true with our teams all the time. The lessons they learn through a season regarding teamwork, drive and overcome adversity are all incredibly important well beyond cheering years.”

The 260 cheerleaders — with 103 of them headed to nationals — also learn public speaking and confidence.

“Everybody has worked hard to get where they’re at … They take pride in their appearance, they take pride in themselves,” Vandygriff said.

Though a few families have left for the competition already, a majority are expected to leave today.

“Just seeing the transformation of these teams is the highlight for me,” Mason said. “I always tear up when they step out on the nationals mat because I am thinking back to that first practice in September.”

Niles Elite Cheerleading will enter competition with more national titles than any program in the country, Mason said.

Teams practice once a week during the year-long program. To learn more or for information about registration and cost, visit www.nileselite.com.