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Top cheerleading team hits the Okanagan

Kelowna cheer athletes getting a good look at some world class athletes in Olympic trial sport
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Tianna Cavezza hits an arabesque with the support of her Okanagan Firestorm Senior Fury team mates during the local programs clinic with the internationally ranked Vancouver Allstars Ice Queens. - Image: Douglas Farrow

The athletes of Okanagan Firestorm Cheerleading team in Kelowna are getting a taste of new levels and opportunities within their sport this weekend.

The local cheerleading gym (the only one of its kind in the Okanagan) are playing host to the internationally recognized athletes and coaches of the Vancouver All-Stars Ice Queens this weekend. The Ice Queens are on a team-bonding retreat in the Okanagan where they will be training their 2018 worlds routine while also taking in some of the local sites.

Friday night they hosted a skills camp for the athletes of Okanagan Firestorm to work on their showmanship in stunting and tumbling to ready themselves for the 2018 competitive season.

This is an amazing opportunity for the local athletes to learn from individuals who have progressed through multiple levels of cheer and experienced the sport at national and international levels.

Cheerleading recently gained conditional sport status by the Olympic committee. Over the next three years the sport will be assessed internationally, and if it passes, may see birth into the Olympics by around 2024.

Several members of the Ice Queens have represented Canada at the International Cheer Union world Championships. The Canadian National all-girl and co-ed teams are made up of athletes from across the country who come together and compete against other national teams at the ICU world championships in Florida in April.

While this weekend is a great learning opportunity for local athletes, it is also an opportunity for the Okanagan’s only certified cheer training facility to have their staff also work alongside and learn from some of the Ice Queens’ coaching staff.

The events this weekend are closed to public however individuals interested in learning more about the sport of cheerleading, local programs and opportunities can contact Okanagan Firestorm Cheerleading by email at okfirestormcheer@shaw.ca. Team registration is still open for the coming season with limited spaces remaining in each age group.

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McKenna Lea (12) supported by members of Okanagan Firestorm Senior Fury work on their technique under the watch of the Vancouver Allstars Ice Queens - Image: Douglas Farrow