From sheer terror to pure elation within 72 hours for two Whitecourt athletes

Since the Humboldt Broncos accident hearing the words “bus crash” have taken on new meaning. Terrifying enough on their own, the words now tend to bring up fears and what ifs that they previously might not have. Flashbacks of that horrible day and the loss that went with it replay like a movie on rewind. For Whitecourt mom Tammy Dickson the flashbacks became all too real when she received word that her two daughters were involved in a bus crash in Las Vegas, Nevada along with their cheerleading team, Alberta Cheer Empire (ACE) Junior 4 Invictus (North Edmonton). “I’ve never cried so much. I couldn’t stop crying from Friday afternoon until Monday when they got home,” she said.

On Friday, December 14, the team had just loaded up into their shuttle from the airport in Las Vegas and were heading towards their hotel, The Mirage. Within minutes of being on the road, their bus was struck on the right side and pushed into the meridian under an overpass. The group of 24 which included athletes, coaches, and driver suddenly found themselves in what felt like the fight of their lives. “We would have smashed into a pillar and would have suffered life-threatening injuries, but we had an amazing driver who took control of the situation. I will forever be grateful for him because he saved this amazing group of people,” said 15-year-old Katelyn Dickson.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police reported that the collision happened when officers tried to stop a Chevrolet rental car which proceeded to take off just before noon. Police didn’t pursue but in the escape the driver crashed into several vehicles including the team’s shuttle. Without anything to hold them in place, the girls said that teammates were being thrown across seats and the aisle. Trying to stay calm proved difficult with the sound of screaming taking over the bus but Katelyn said she was determined to get to her older sister Kayla (16) who had been sitting towards the back of the bus. “I was yelling, trying to tell everyone it was okay and that we would be fine but what did I know at the time? I was honestly just hoping everyone was alive.”

As she made her way towards the back of the bus, Katelyn said she ran into one of her supervisors and that as they hugged the reality of the situation finally hit her. “I couldn’t catch my breath. I couldn’t talk, and I couldn’t even think straight. My headache started to kick in from hitting the window. She brought me to Kayla and everyone hugged, cried, and asked if the other was okay.”

Club owner Kim Fiissel was the first to be taken to the hospital, waving to the girls as she was rolled to the ambulance. She suffered a serious concussion, bruised legs, a cracked tooth, and was cut from being thrown around. She wouldn’t leave until she knew that her team was okay. Three teammates and a supervisor were also taken to the hospital for arm/shoulder injuries and concussions. Hours later, the team members finally arrived at their hotel where the parents who made the trip were anxiously waiting. Not all parents made the trip, but enough love was shared from those that did to help comfort everyone.

“I wanted my mom, but the other moms and dads hugged me and held me until I was okay. I will never forget the kindness and care they showed me in my time of need,” said Katelyn. With no serious injuries or broken bones amongst the group, they now had to decide if they were going to go forward with the competition which was less than 24 hours away. The decision was to go for it. “Before we practiced and competed, they told us we needed to use this to our advantage and show the other teams and each other how strong we are. They told us we needed to leave the accident off the mat and give it our all.”

On Saturday, December 15, the group hit the mat to perform. Within moments it was clear that the team was there to win and that the events a day earlier were far from their minds. “The competition was huge, loud, exciting, and nerve-racking all at the same time. We wanted the championship title so bad and we knew we had to work for it especially after what we went through,” explained Katelyn.

Over 200 teams from across Canada and the United States were there, each dreaming to be the ones taking the title home. On the final day of competition, the group was once again calling their parents with excitement in their voices except this time it wasn’t in fear but rather jubilation. They had won. With a score of 96.99 they were the American National Champions and had gold medals around their necks.

As a cherry on top of the already enormous sundae, the group added to their haul hours after arriving safely in Edmonton when they learned that they had successfully qualified for an even bigger competition. The Summit is an international cheer competition which will take place in May at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and the team is beyond excited to go. Their next goal is to win $20,000 towards the trip to Disney by competing in Calgary in February. They will need to have one of the highest scores of all the teams in the competition in order to secure the funding. “I believe they can do it,” beamed Tammy. The girls will also be fundraising locally leading up to the competition.

She said reuniting with her daughters at the airport was beyond emotional and that talking about the experience now is very emotional for everyone. Feelings of excitement and relief blend into one. The girls take part in cheer for much of the year and have been involved in the sport for nine years.

“Before the accident, I would’ve said the best thing about cheer is stunting but now, I would say its the people, the relationships, and the feeling after you walk off the mat together, crying because you’re so proud of the performance,” said Katelyn. “I couldn’t wrap my head around why this had happened to us but in the long run, it brought us closer together when we needed it.”