Sabres Cheer exhibition shows hard work and determination of athletes

 

Sabres Cheer Sport and Tumbling held their annual team exhibition at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre on Saturday January 13.  With a huge mat laid out in the ATB Fieldhouse, the athletes performed dizzying flips, pyramids and cartwheels for the large crowd of family, friends and community members.

“The exhibition is kind of the dress rehearsal for our cheer club.  It gets the athletes prepared for when we get into competition season which is typically the end of January to the end of April” explained Shannon Wharton, president of Sabres Cheer Spirit club.  The first competition of the year will take place in Edmonton on January 20.

“This is kind of our showcase to invite family and friends and to get the community out to see exactly what the cheer club does because it’s not what many people expect it to be.  Its not rah, rah with pompoms and all of that.  Sabres Cheer has two strong components, in dance and gymnastics.  Pom poms are not involved at all” said Shannon with a little laugh.  “Not to say you wouldn’t run into pom poms in a high school setting perhaps but not here.  We also offer the competitive elements too, so they get a chance to work as a team together and compete against other clubs which I think is a nice aspect.”

Typically, the club has anywhere from 4-6 competitions each year and though most are within the northern end of the province, they do go as far south as Red Deer and Calgary.  This year, Sabres Cheer has 73 athletes in total which includes all the levels.  “Our final one is Sea to Sky which is held in Vancouver.  That one is just for the all-star teams and we have three of them” said Shannon.

The season runs from September until April, with spring sessions offered and summer opportunities as well, making Sabres Cheer a commitment, but also a fantastic sport to get involved in as the support locally is big.  “I think they all did fabulous today.  For some it’s coming to their first competition and there’s always a little bit of improvement that you want to check out and the only way to do that is to be able to perform live.  You get a better sense of where you need to improve and what you need to fix” said Shannon.

To learn more about Sabres Cheer, visit www.sabrescheer.com or visit their Facebook page, Sabres Cheer Sport & Tumbling.