Lakeland cheerleaders headed to Orlando after qualifying at Take Flight Cheer and Dance Championship

Lakeland teams are headed for Florida after winning qualifying bids at the Take Flight Cheer and Dance Championship.

Teams from across the province gathered in the City of Cold Lake for two days of competition hosted at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on April 1-2. 

“There’s something so special about competing in your home town that gives athletes an extra boost of confidence, and I’m so happy to provide this opportunity to our Cold Lake cheerleaders,” said Viola Holden, Owner of Flight Athletics. 

Premier Academy Bonnyville, Flight Athletics Cold Lake, Flight Athletics Lloydminster, and Explosion Cheer Academy Lloydminster are just some of the local teams that competed. 

The All-Star Cheerleading competition also brought in far-away teams including Prestige Athletics Whitecourt, Infinity Athletics Moose Jaw, Premier Academy Fort McMurray, Holy Trinity Catholic High School and Northern Cheerleading Allstars Fort McMurray. 

“We had 72 entries this year for a total of 639 participants and just shy of 1200 spectators. We had just under 500 participants last year and are thrilled to see the event grow,” said Holden. 

Teams had opportunities to win bids to choose if they would like to attend the All-Star World Championship in 2023 or 2024. 

Last year, three Lakeland teams won qualifying bids, one from Premier Academy Bonnyville and two from Flight Athletics Cold Lake. These cheerleaders will be traveling to Florida to compete in the international competition in the coming weeks. 

The Take Flight Cheer and Dance Championship is the only event in Western Canada that is a qualifying event for the Allstar World Championship which takes place in Orlando, Florida each May.

“We gave out seven bids to the Allstar World Championship this weekend and four of the bid winning teams are from the Lakeland,” said Holden. 

This was only the second in person Take Flight Cheer and Dance Championship and the only All-Star Cheerleading competition north of Edmonton. 

Images from Premier Academy Bonnyville and Flight Athletics Cold Lake.

Here are the results from the local area: 

U6 Novice:

Flight Athletics Tutors (Cold Lake) – Rated ‘Excellent’

U12 Novice:

Flight Athletics Gliders (Cold Lake) – Rated ‘Excellent’

U6 Prep:

Premier Academy Scorchers (Bonnyville) – Rated ‘Excellent’ 

U8 Prep:

Flight Athletics Hurricanes (Cold Lake) – Rated ‘Excellent’ 

Premier Academy Glimmer (Bonnyville) – Rated ‘Excellent’

U12 Prep Small:

Flight Athletics Hawks (Cold Lake) – 1st Place (this is the team in the photo you sent me on Facebook)

Premier Academy Fever (Bonnyville) – 2nd Place

U12 Pom & Dance: 

Flight Athletics Cyclones (Cold Lake) – 2nd Place

U12 Level 1:

Premier Academy Dynamite (Bonnyville) – 1st Place and a bid to the Allstar World Championship

Flight Athletics Spitfire (Cold Lake) – 4th Place

U12 Level 2:

Flight Athletics Vipers (Cold Lake) – 1st Place and a bid to the Allstar World Championship

U16 Level 2:

Premier Academy Xplosion (Bonnyville) – 1st Place, a paid bid to the Allstar World Championship, and Grand Champions

U18 Level 2:

Flight Athletics Phantoms (Cold Lake) – 1st Place

U16 Level 3:

Premier Academy Intensity (Bonnyville) – 1st Place and a bid to the Allstar World Championship and the ‘Earn you Wings’ specialty award

U6 Level 1 Individual: 

Premier Academy – Hadley McGinley (Bonnyville) – 1st Place

U8 Level 1 Individual:

Premier Academy – Clarissa Cornish (Bonnyville) – 1st Place

U12 Level 2 Individual:

Flight Athletics – Maëlle Kilburn (Cold Lake) – 1st Place

Premier Academy – Miah Kirkham (Bonnyville) – 2nd Place

U12 Level 3 Individual:

Flight Athletics – Jacoby Kilburn (Cold Lake) – 1st Place

U16 Level 3 Duo: 

Premier Academy – Dyllan and Kaylan (Bonnyville) – 1st Place