Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
It’s the biggest cheerleading event in Canada, and a strong contingent of local athletes lit up the stage there and earned impressive finishes for the Lightning Cheer squad out of North Bay. The Canadian Cheer Nationals competition was held April 12 to 14 in Niagara Falls, bringing together Canada’s top talent in cheerleading. Lightning Cheer club, which trains out of the Apollo Gymnastics Centre in North Bay, sent several teams including top finishers with West Nipissing representation.
Fifteen-year old Morgann Bolduc was competing as part of the U16 Level 2A Storm team, performing a high energy, high-risk routine full of tricks, flips and stunts. The team earned a third-place finish at nationals, quite an accomplishment after a fifth place at provincials in March. This team also features 12-year old Taylor Rainville, who competed with both the U16 Storm and the U12 Rain, earning a 3rd and 8th place respectively.
The national event wrapped up Morgann’s third competitive season, and she’s already looking forward to the next. When asked if she is returning to compete next season, the response is “oh yeah, for sure!” Her mom Charlene Bolduc says “she adores it,” even when training hard through two sessions per week in North Bay.
Morgann’s twin sister Avree Bolduc also competed at nationals after joining the U16 Level 3D Blackout team just a month before the event. Avree is a long-time competitive gymnast and was asked to join the team because they needed a strong tumbler. She obviously picked up the sport fast as Blackout took second place, earning still more bragging rights for the Lightning Cheer.
Now, Avree has a dilemma, having to choose between two sports she loves. Her mom says she is still undecided, and she cannot pursue both cheer and gymnastics as the schedules would conflict. “This year, gymnastics provincials and cheer nationals were at the same time. She qualified for gymnastics provincials and had to turn it down because she had already committed to the cheer team and didn’t want to let them down.”
Along with Avree on the Blackout team was 14-year old Kirah Head of Nipissing First Nation. Kirah has been practicing cheer for 6 years, competing from the very beginning at age 8. Her mom Crystal Stevens says “she’s always been a flyer”, the one you see being lifted, thrown in the air and doing impressive stunts. “I don’t breathe,” laughs the mom, but adds that suffering through the nerves is worth it as “Kirah loves it.”
While Kirah is a great flyer, she’s also a really good tumbler and loves all aspects of cheer. In addition to her 2nd place finish with the U16 Level 3 Blackout, where she has a flyer position, she took a third place at nationals with the U16 Level 2 Inferno team, where she is a base for some of the younger athletes. Of course, being on two teams means twice the training, with Kirah spending 8 hours per week at the Apollo Gym. “She puts in the commitment,” says her mom, adding that “she has great coaches.” Kirah is undeterred by the hard training. In Grade 8 at Our Lady of Sorrows school, she is “already looking into which university has cheerleading,” because she really wants to pursue the sport, says Crystal.
Charlene says her twins were both nervous and excited during the national competition, which she calls “pretty intense.” The event draws over 200 teams from across Canada and routines go from morning until late at night on Friday and Saturday, and all day Sunday. She says Avree was more nervous as it was her first time on stage in front of a huge audience, but she performed great under the pressure.