Down a gravel road just outside of Steinbach, big things are happening in a small town Quonset. One of Canada’s up-and-coming cheerleading teams, Scorpions Elite Cheer, is launching its seventh season and it looks to be one of its most thrilling years yet, with a bid for the World Summits Competition in Florida a real possibility.
In 2010, Andrew and Tiffany Recksiedler decided to open their own cheerleading gym in Steinbach. The husband and wife team had competed and coached in other cheerleading gyms for many years and wanted to start their own program.
“We actually never planned on having our own gym,” Tiffany says. “Andrew and I both loved cheer and decided to start a program at Lorette Collegiate. We had 15 kids interested so we rented out space to practice with them. They ended up winning first place in their first competition and received second place at provincials… Before we knew it, people were asking if we could coach younger teams and it just grew from there.”
Since their modest beginnings in 2010, the team has grown from 15 to 100 students and has held the title of Provincial Champs four years in a row. The team also holds national titles.
Last year, their Senior Co-ed 4.2 team, Strike Force, were named the National Grand Champions, edging out fan favourites and reality television stars The Great White Sharks in their combined score at the three-day event. The Junior Level 3 team, Black Venom, came in third in their division, finishing less than half a point out of first place.
The National Grand Championship, held annually in Niagara Falls, had 365 teams competing with over 7,000 athletes.
The Scorpions Senior 4.2 team also won first place at an international competition in Vancouver called Sea to Sky.
Even with all these titles under their belts, the Recksiedlers remain humble. The gym is relatively new, the coaches are young, and their practice space, while filled with state-of-the-art equipment, is a renovated barn. But as the parents, students, and coaching staff will tell you, the walls of this gym aren’t what make it vibrant; it’s the people and supportive atmosphere that keep families coming back year after year.
“Scorpions Elite Cheer has had a huge impact on my daughter and our family,” says Laura Slipec, whose daughter Emma is part of the Youth Level 1 Strikers. “Emma has shown a greater understanding of what it means to be on a team and how to trust others. She displays less anxiety in certain situations and is so much happier… She dreams of eventually becoming a cheer coach.”
Marcy Wiebe has had three daughters in the program at various points and has also seen positive changes in her children. Her eight-year-old daughter Isabella is part of the Mini Level 1 Stingers and the Youth Level 1 Strikers. Her four-year-old daughter Alyssa is part of the Tiny Level 1 Pinchers.
“Isabella was really a high-strung kid with lots of anxiety and it’s really made a difference in her self-confidence. It used to be that she would cry before school and she didn’t want to go,” Wiebe says. “She was very introverted and now she is far more comfortable with crowds and handling herself in those situations.”
The culture within the gym makes it a family-friendly place where, as parents and athletes insist, teammates become friends and friends become family.
“The sense of family is so strong with the Scorpions,” Slipec says. “It is beautiful to see the older kids cheer on and encourage the younger kids. The competitions are both exciting for the parents and athletes alike.”
Wiebe agrees the environment is very supportive but also appreciates the emphasis the gym puts on strong values. “First of all, I love Tiffany and Andrew; I think they do a phenomenal job. I like that they aren’t a babysitting facility. The kids actually have to work hard and there are consequences when they misbehave,” says Wiebe. “I like that they are very big on integrity and they put that responsibility on the athletes as well as the parents. I think that says a lot about the culture of our gym.”
Wiebe laughs, adding, “I never pictured myself as a cheer mom and now I’m hooked.”
Scorpions Elite Cheer offers both recreational and competitive cheerleading from ages three to 17+. The gym also provides tumbling classes throughout the year, as well as summer programs. Students from all over southern Manitoba are part of this elite team, including athletes from Niverville. In the past, athletes have even driven in from out of province to be on the team.
