Kids were kicking up their heels last week Saturday when the cheerleaders came to town!
Killarney-Turtle Mountain Rec hosted a fun new workshop for children from grades kindergarten to grade 8.
The Shamrock Centre hosted the free Cheerleading Workshop that was instructed and funded by Cheer Manitoba, along with Vision Cheer Company and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries. The workshop ran from 9 am to 3:30 pm for children in grades K-8 with performances held at the end for parents to watch.
"As well, in the evening, a coaching clinic was held for community members who are considering coaching the upcoming Cheer program that the Shamrock Centre plans to run beginning this fall," shares Killarney Rec Director, Mandy Alexander.
"Vision Cheer Company from Winnipeg, who have family ties to Killarney, generously donated beautiful green and gold poms to the Shamrock Centre that can be used for years to come as well!"
"So, the morning we had kids from grades kindergarten to grade 2 and we had 18 kids come to that. They did a full session on pom and then they did a full session on cheer, which is more like the tumbling and the stunting," she explains. "This was followed by the Grades 3-8 workshop where 22 kids participated, and then at the end they put on a performance for the parents."
Collaboration started with Team Manitoba last September to get the program started.
Alexander says the coaching clinic was a great step towards starting their own cheer program at the Shamrock Centre with hopes to begin this fall.
"We are looking for instructors for that and so we had them put on a little clinic and hopefully we will get some instructors from that," she adds.
"There's actually no cheerleading west of Winnipeg in Manitoba," she adds. "I had gone to a cheer competition in Saskatchewan. I saw it and I was like, oh, what an amazing idea! I looked around and there is nothing. Brandon doesn't have anything. Like I said, nothing west of Winnipeg. So, it's like, why don't we start something here?"
"I know there's tons of kids that are into dance and gymnastics and Cheer is such a cool combination of the two! It was an exciting day, so fun for the kids and such a wonderful opportunity for everyone involved to get to experience the world of cheer!"
Please listen to more with Mandy Alexander below!
(photo credit Killarney-Turtle Mountain Recreation)