Organized cheerleading has found a home in southeastern Manitoba once more. After months of planning by parents, coaches, and athletes, Phoenix Cheer Athletics (PCA) announced on August 1 its plan to succeed Scorpions Elite Cheer, which had closed unexpectedly earlier this year.
After its closure in June, former Scorpions Elite members rallied to ensure local athletes could continue cheerleading competitively. According to the organization, within weeks of Scorpions Elite’s disbanding, the group found “investors to purchase the equipment from the former gym, assembled a steering committee to set up the business, found a new gym location, and secured seven coaches.”
Phoenix Cheer Athletics Steering Committee co-chair Natalie Batkis says that PCA is in the process of converting its new location in Ste. Anne into a gym, but they hope to expand into a larger facility in the future.
Now located in a facility at 8–520 Traverse Road, half a kilometre south of the intersections of Highways 207 and 210 in Ste. Anne, Phoenix Cheer Athletics will continue to deliver programming to its athletes in Île-des-Chênes, Niverville, La Broquerie, Marchand, Steinbach, Winnipeg, Landmark, and Lorette—with some coming from as far as Kenora, Ontario.
“While there are other respected cheerleading programs in Winnipeg, the close-knit rural cheer community wasn’t ready to break their teams apart,” says a press release from PCA, “and many couldn’t commit to the financial and time burdens involved in driving to Winnipeg a few times a week.”
Scorpions Elite Cheer, founded by Andrew and Tiffany Recksiedler in 2010, achieved much success operating out of a converted Quonset near Steinbach, capturing six provincial titles and multiple national titles.
“After almost 10 years, the owners decided they wanted to take a break and focus on family,” says Batkis. “They definitely deserve it and we support them one hundred percent. They laid the groundwork and now we will continue on with their legacy.”
Phoenix Cheer Athletics is searching for more athletes ages five to 14 as it prepares for a registration/open house scheduled for August 14.
“Our competitive program will focus on athletes ages five to 14 this year, which means we will have mini, youth, and junior teams,” says PCA program director Kamille Wieler. “Our goal is to include a senior team next year for athletes ages 15 to 18 years old.”
Two recreational cheerleading groups, which involve less commitment, are also in the works.
“Our top priority is to ensure our athletes have a safe environment where they can be challenged and grow in the sport. If we win a few trophies along the way, it is just an added bonus,” said Batkis. “We have a lot to live up to, but with nearly all of our first 30 registered athletes being former Scorpions, and our coaches all being former Scorpion athletes and/or coaches, we are confident we can build a very successful program.”
