Don't look for them on the sidelines because they are centre stage. These are competitive cheerleaders, and their sport is a combination of gymnastics, dance and acrobatics.
Sonja Lucia-Bocs is the owner of Absolute Cheer and Tumbling in North Vancouver. A cheerleader in high school, Lucia-Bocs, who had previous experience in gymnastics as well, says competitive cheerleading is a popular sport among teens across the country. It is a form of cheerleading that has evolved from familiar sideline groups rooting for athletic teams and waving pom poms.
The competitive cheer teams perform a 2½-minute routine that is choreographed to custom music and includes acrobatics, referred to as "stunting."
While some students at her gym have a gymnastics background, some don't.
"We can teach them the gymnastics here because we have a cheerleading program and a separate tumbling program as well."
Budding cheerleaders start as young as three years old and go up to 35, with varied skill levels.
"Cheerleading is one of those sports where you can jump in at any time and learn it as long as you have the right positive mentality and you're physically fit," says Lucia-Bocs.
It is also a sport that is not limited to a certain body type.
"We've got kids of all shapes and sizes here because each athlete has a different role, especially when it comes to stunting," explains Lucia-Bocs.
For example, a certain stunt might require a smaller athlete to throw in the air, but a tall one behind her or him to be in charge of the stunt, and two athletes to act as bases, who have to be relatively strong in the upper and lower body.
This year, Lucia-Bocs was named as one of the coaches of Team Canada, which is part of a non-profit organization called the Canadian Cheerleading Union. Four athletes from her gym have also been chosen for the team: Brittany Hawkins, Diane Wan, Calvin Ling and Daniel Yip. They are set to compete at the Cheerleading World Championships in Orlando at the end of April.
"It's a huge honour," says Lucia-Bocs of their accomplishment.
This year, Absolute Cheer and Tumbling had two teams vying for bids to the world championships. Teams have to earn a certain grade percentage at one of two B.C. competitions to receive a bid to the championships. Absolute's IOC6 Prime team earned their grade and are heading to the worlds.
Competitive cheerleading is also very popular in the United States, and some of the elite-level athletes at Absolute are working toward a goal of earning scholarships to American universities.
Absolute Cheer and Tumbling offers a range of regular-season training programs for beginning and experienced athletes, and has scheduled a variety of different March Break camps open to girls and boys of all skill levels.
