At the beginning of April, Scorpion Elite Cheer (SEC), featuring athletes from across southeast Manitoba, appeared at national competitions in Niagara Falls.
The Junior Level 2 team, Green Venom, and the Senior Level 3 team, Immortals, performed at the Canadian Cheer Evolution National Championship. There, Green Venom earned bronze in the Junior 2 Small Division. The Immortals, whose athletes are aged 11 to 18, earned fifth place in the Senior 3 Extra Small Division after performing a strong first run. They received deductions in their second run that cost them the third-place spot.
The championship requires teams to perform two runs of their routine over the course of two days.
Tiffany Recksiedler, who owns SEC with her husband Andrew, explains that the cheerleading season is typically nine months long, with practices starting in September. Teams learn their competition routines in October and November.
“In the past we only had two teams attend,” says Recksiedler. “Our program only brings teams that we feel are strong enough to do well at the event… Currently anyone can choose to go to Nationals. However, our Junior Level 1 team had to win a bid to be eligible to compete at [the] Canadian Finals. There are only 30 bids available to win for this competition, [in order to] ensure only the top teams in Canada get the opportunity to compete against each other.”
With only nine teams in the Level 1 Division, SEC’s team, Black Venom, needed a strong performance to earn a medal during the weekend competition. The team features athletes aged 10 to 14. This year’s team was made up entirely of returning athletes. After a solid routine on the Saturday night, the team earned themselves a bronze medal.
SEC is based out of Steinbach and is in its eighth competitive season. Its teams compete five to six times per year, according to Recksiedler, allowing them to improve their routines and increase the level of difficulty throughout the season. SEC prides itself on evaluating each athlete’s skill level and placing them on the appropriate team where they can be challenged and grow in the sport.
“We are currently practicing for our last competition this season,” says Recksiedler. “After that, we offer summer classes where new and returning athletes can come out and improve skills before the next competitive season.”
Tryouts for next year will take place in August.
