Lethbridge cheerleading team secures spot at world championships
A Lethbridge cheerleading team is on top of the world – or at least they're looking to be.
The Peak Elite Cheerleading Everest team is heading to the World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Fla., from Apr.19 to 21 and can't wait to show the world what they've got.
"They started when they were eight to 10 years old. It's been a slow and steady progression to get them to Level 6 and I could not be more proud," said Peak Elite’s owner and head coach, Samantha Paradee.
They punched their ticket for worlds at the Cold Snap Championship in Edmonton on Jan.22, earning the final Alberta bid there.
A bid is an invitation to compete and must be earned through competing at an event that offers them, with nine bids being given out at Cold Snap and more to be handed out at competitions over the next couple of months.
Peak Elite, formerly known as Perfect Storm, is no stranger to winning.
They’ve taken home many championship titles but heading to the international stage pushes them to a whole new level of competition.
"This is the first time that Peak Elite has sent somebody to worlds," said Paradee.
"It's the first gym in Lethbridge that's ever sent a team to worlds, so yeah, we're the first. It's a big deal."
Cheerleading isn’t just a sport reserved for high-schoolers, either.
Peak Elite has multiple teams besides Everest, with athletes ranging from just four years old all the way up to 55.
The Everest team is made up of 15 members aged 14 to 21.
Now, with international competition on the horizon, the athletes expect training to kick into high gear.
"Practice is going to be a lot more strict, not as much time messing around," said Kadin Otis, a member of the Everest team.
"We're definitely going to be doing more stunts and more repetition, for sure."
"This is a huge opportunity for us, so we need to make sure we’re ready," added another of Everest’s members, Kenzie Fedorowich.
"We want to be able to achieve a common goal, so we all have to go and work really hard together."
The team was supposed to go to Florida back in 2020 for the Summit Cheerleading Championships, but that was cancelled due to the pandemic.
"We were denied our first world's opportunity because of COVID, so this is our comeback and we're really excited to have the opportunity and to just put it all on the mat," said Paradee.
"At the end of the day, we're just going to strive to be better than we were the day before," added Fedorowich.
"So I'm just looking for us to just kill it when we go to Florida."
The Everest team still has a lot of practice ahead of them in preparation for the World Championships, but they still have to keep the cheer at a maximum with multiple competitions coming up, including the Imagine Cheer and Dance Competition in Calgary this weekend.
They’re hoping to use these upcoming competitions to get more bids to help them fund the trip down to Florida in April.
Multiple teams from Alberta and Canada will be joining Everest in Florida, with more spots still available before the season wraps up.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
When new leaders took over in ancient Maya, they didn't just bury the former royals. They burned their bodies in public
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Prince William returns to public duties after wife Kate's cancer revelation
Prince William will return to public duties on Thursday for the first time since his wife Kate revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
Russia reports downing 5 Ukrainian military balloons in Kyiv's latest apparent war innovation
Russian air defences downed what authorities described as five Ukrainian balloons overnight, the defence ministry in Moscow said Thursday, as the sides kept up long-range strikes that have featured heavily in what has largely become a war of attrition.