Gymnastics, dance, acrobatics, or stunts; you name it, these kids will do it.
Premier Academy Cheerleading and Tumbling is celebrating the completion of its first year offering cheerleading programs for kids in Bonnyville.
“We had our first season this year and the girls did amazing,” said Melissa Kirkendall, program coordinator at Premier Academy. “We have 30 athletes and they range in age from five to 12-years-old.
Premier Academy hosted an event at Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre on Sunday to educate residents on the emerging sport and show-off what the athletes have learned.
“The event was a showcase to Bonnyville, so people can see what cheer leading is about,” Kirkendall noted. “People have a common misconception of cheerleaders, that we are just at football games or any other sport. But we actually don’t cheer on any sports, we are competitive cheerleading.”
For their first event, the turnout from parents and kids locally was unexpected.
Kirkendall said they had 57 kids in total interested in learning more about cheerleading.
Like any other sport, cheerleading also has some levels for different age groups. The highest is level six or Senior, which is for kids age 18 and above. They are followed by junior from age 12 to 14 years old, youth consists age group from nine to 11, and mini level is comprised with age group of seven to 8 followed by last group of tiny that take age five and six.
The Premier Academy in Bonnyville is expecting to increase their registrations this year.
“Our teams are already full for next year. We had 29 athletes this year and we have more registered for the next season,” noted Kirkendall.