Tell me more about the sport of cheerleading...

Cheerleading has become one of Canada's fastest growing sports. The stereotypical, sideline cheerleader that is often associated with the sport is no longer the norm for the industry.

Competitive cheerleading combines the skills of tumbling, stunting, dance, motions and jumps into an action packed routine of approximately 2.5 minutes. The sport requires strength, power, agility, flexibility, coordination, fitness and of course TEAM WORK! All Star cheerleading differs from school based cheerleading in that it is community based and draws its athletes from a geographical area rather than a particular school. The purpose of an All Star team is competition.

Athletes train throughout the year exclusively to compete at local, national and international competitions - there is no actual "cheering" involved in the sport! In addition, All Star cheerleading is often able to offer more advanced skill development than school based teams due to the resources of proper equipment, facilities and highly trained coaches.

In 2003, the United States All Star Federation (USASF)/International All Star Federation (IASF) was formed. USASF enabled All Star teams to compete under a standard set of rules and levels through out the world. These rules help regulate cheerleading as a competitive sport and ensure that logical and safe progressions are outlined for each level.

USASF/IASF: www.usasf.net

More recently, cheerleading as a sport has gained so much popularity, that it is only a matter of time before it becomes an Olympic sport. In 2008, the International Cheer Union was formed which encompasses 75 member nations throughout the world. On April 23, 2009, the ICU hosted the first World Cheerleading Championships; this marked the first cheerleading competition in history where true national teams were formed and competed against each other. Forty countries participated at this event and two levels of elite-level cheerleading were offered (levels in accordance with USASF/IASF). At that time, Canada formed the Canadian Cheer Union; a group of coaches dedicated to selecting two, high level teams to compete each year at the World Cheerleading Championships; Canada brought home two first place finishes at this event.

At World Cheerleading Championships in 2010, Team Canada did it again! The two Canadian squads brought home World titles. Many Canadian teams also competed at the USASF World Championships in Orlando; a seperate and highly competitive World competition. Storm Cheer was extremely proud to have an athlete compete at the 2010 Worlds Championships. Justin Smith competed at University & Open National Cheerleading Championships in December of 2009 where he and his stunt partner (and our esteemed Storm Cheer coach) Kathryn White placed 2nd in the partner stunt division. Justin was subsequently invited to compete at the USASF World Championships. Storm Cheer hopes to continue providing athletes with Provincial, National and International competitive opportunities.

Cheerleading continues to be an incredibly dynamic sport that offers various facets for anyone interested. From high school cheerleading to All Star, collegiate to professional, recreational to parent teams; cheerleading is a sport for everyone. Canada is a world leader in cheerleading and provides a unique, team-oriented, positive sport for all skill levels and all ages!