Hoisted atop a pyramid by the strong limbs of her teammates as bars of Psys Gangnam Style echoed from the stereo, Kristen McKay snapped her arms above her head and flashed her coaches a big smile.
The eight-year-old Vancouver cheerleader with Midnight Cheer Athletics wore a large, gold-flecked bow in her hair at the teams final practice before the Sea to Sky International Cheerleading and Dance Competition begins Friday at the Vancouver Convention Centre. It claims to be the biggest cheerleading competition outside of the U.S. and draws 2,500 athletes from 150 teams.
The Youth Level 2 team, comprising nine girls aged 11 and under, will compete against squads from Calgary and Saskatchewan in addition to the Vancouver All-Stars, a well-trained team from Coquitlam that competes in the U.S.
Were hoping to show the judges that we know what were doing and were confident, said McKay.
They first rehearsed the pyramid three months ago in late January, working patiently to build trust and polish the stunt. Three groups of two girls, known as bases, each lift another girl, known as a topper. McKay is at the centre, topping the triangle. The Sea to Sky championship is their opportunity to show what theyve accomplished this season, said Midnights director and head coach Karen Fraser.
For most teams that go to this competition, this is the last event of the year, said Fraser, who founded the club in 2006 and continues her life-long passion for coaching and choreographing cheerleading. This is what were all building towards this is our finale. It is the standard that everyone sets their year on. This represents what we can do.
Midnight Cheer Athletics has eight teams and four individual girls entered in the seventh annual cheerleading competition.
Cheerleading is expanding in Vancouver, albeit slowly, said Fraser. But the sport still hasnt hit the point of cultural saturation or even reached the same level of respect as it has in the U.S., where many Canadian clubs travel for competition, inspiration, and in some rare cases, post-secondary scholarships.
The most significant hurdle Fraser faces is the stereotype that shortchanges the athletic abilities and team accountability of cheerleaders. Cheerleading, she insists, is a sport and not just a sideline attraction although she celebrates the roots of cheerleading, which saw girls and women rooting for men and lifting the crowds spirits.
Thats our history, thats where we came from but that doesnt get us recognition for what we do today. We dont use pompoms. In competitive cheerleading, thats not what we do, said Fraser. We throw people in the air and we flip.
Part of the challenge in Canada arises from the absence of a national sport organization that governs cheerleading. There are provincial bodies, including the B.C. Cheerleading Association, but for the most part, the sport is informally regulated by the U.S. All Star Federation.
The goal is that, one day we are gong to be a sport that is in the Olympics, said Fraser. We will be a sport that will be recognized for what we do, not what we wear.
For girls like McKay who learned to trust the teammates who lift her three metres into the air while she stands on one leg and the athletes who stick the landing on a back tuck after tumbling through a series of back handsprings, theres no question how to define competitive cheerleading.
If you dont put your blood, sweat and tears into it, she said, its impossible.
For a complete schedule and ticket prices to the Sea to Sky International Cheerleading and Dance Championship, visit internationalcheeralliance.com.
Twitter.com/MHStewart
