Take Flight hits the stage

COLD LAKE - The second in-person Take Flight Cheer and Dance Championship filled the field house at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on April 1 and 2, drawing in teams from across the province for two days of impressive performances.

The event is the only All-Star Cheerleading competition held north of Edmonton.

"We had 72 entries this year for a total of 639 participants and just shy of 1,200 spectators. We had just under 500 participants last year and are thrilled to see the event grow," said Viola Holden, owner of Flight Athletics, which operates clubs in both Cold Lake and Lloydminster.

"There's something special about competing in your home town that gives athletes an extra boost of confidence, and I'm so happy to provide this opportunity to our Cold Lake cheerleaders," added Holden.

Participating gyms and schools came from Flight Athletics Cold Lake, Flight Athletics Lloydminster, Explosion Cheer Academy Lloydminster, Premier Academy Bonnyville, Prestige Athletics Whitecourt, Infinity Athletics Moose Jaw, Premier Academy Fort McMurray, Northern Cheerleading Allstars Fort McMurray, and Holy Trinity Catholic High School.

The Take Flight Cheer and Dance Championship is the only event in Western Canada that acts as a qualifying event for the Allstar World Championship, which takes place in Orlando, Florida, each May.

"We gave out seven bids to the Allstar World Championship this weekend and four of the bid winning teams are from the Lakeland," says Holden. 

Three teams from the Lakeland won qualifying bids at Take Flight last year - two from Flight Athletics (Cold Lake) and one from Premier Academy (Bonnyville), and the cheerleaders will be travelling to Florida in a few weeks to compete on the international stage.

The teams who received bids this past weekend get to chose whether they would like to attend the Allstar World Championship in 2023 or in 2024. 

Results from the area include:

U6 Novice:

• Flight Athletics Tutors (Cold Lake) - Rated 'Excellent'

U12 Novice:

• Flight Athletics Gliders (Cold Lake) - Rated 'Excellent'

U6 Prep:

• Premier Academy Scorchers (Bonnyville) - Rated 'Excellent' 

U8 Prep:

• Flight Athletics Hurricanes (Cold Lake) - Rated 'Excellent' 
• Premier Academy Glimmer (Bonnyville) - Rated 'Excellent'

U12 Prep Small:

• Flight Athletics Hawks (Cold Lake) - 1^st Place 
• Premier Academy Fever (Bonnyville) - 2^nd Place

U12 Pom & Dance: 

• Flight Athletics Cyclones (Cold Lake) - 2^nd Place

U12 Level 1:

• Premier Academy Dynamite (Bonnyville) - 1^st Place and a bid to the Allstar World Championship
• Flight Athletics Spitfire (Cold Lake) - 4^th Place

U12 Level 2:

• Flight Athletics Vipers (Cold Lake) - 1^st Place and a bid to the Allstar World Championship

U16 Level 2:

• Premier Academy Xplosion (Bonnyville) - 1^st Place, a paid bid to the Allstar World Championship, and Grand Champions

U18 Level 2:

• Flight Athletics Phantoms (Cold Lake) - 1^st Place

U16 Level 3:

• Premier Academy Intensity (Bonnyville) - 1^st Place and a bid to the Allstar World Championship and the 'Earn you Wings' specialty award

U6 Level 1 Individual: 

• Premier Academy - Hadley McGinley (Bonnyville) - 1^st Place

U8 Level 1 Individual:

• Premier Academy - Clarissa Cornish (Bonnyville) - 1^st Place

U12 Level 2 Individual:

• Flight Athletics - Ma ëlle Kilburn (Cold Lake) - 1^st Place
• Premier Academy - Miah Kirkham (Bonnyville) - 2^nd Place

U12 Level 3 Individual:

• Flight Athletics - Jacoby Kilburn (Cold Lake) - 1^st Place

U16 Level 3 Duo: 

• Premier Academy - Dyllan and Kaylan (Bonnyville) - 1^st Place