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Panther Cheer Athletics won the inaugural Pinnacle Cup last weekend at the Richmond Olympic Oval.
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Panther Cheer athletes stand tall—on and off the mat
At its core, Panther Cheer Athletics strives
to develop the whole athlete.
That means providing a safe, positive and
challenging culture for individuals to grow and realize their potential.
The steadfast belief has vaulted Panther
Cheer to the top in the sport of all-star cheerleading, and created a model to
emulate.
“Panther Cheer is the only cheer gym in B.C.
to have an intensive and thorough character development aspect to our training,”
says co-owner Stephanie Kennedy. “Each and every month, we have a word that we
focus on and discuss as a team at the beginning of every practice. We talk
about how the word is applicable to their lives, their training, and their part
in how the world works.”
The conversations are not only meaningful,
but help better prepare the club’s athletes for life on and off the competitive
mat.
Besides helping advance their athletic
talents, both as individuals and collectively, the character development is
also reflected in the way the athletes carry themselves in competition as well
as outside the athletic arena.
Another benefit is the consistency Panther
Cheer has been able to realize. At last weekend’s seventh Mardi Parti Cheer
Championships at the Richmond Olympic Oval, the club earned four top placings.
Additionally, the club—which was represented by eight teams—finished first
three times and captured two grand championship banners (meaning they received
highest score in their respective levels across all age divisions). Most
notably, the Generals (Panther Cheer’s junior level two team) won the inaugural
Pinnacle Cup awarded for the highest cumulative score over three events the
company ran this season.
Further, two Panther Cheer teams recently
became national champions at the Best of the Northwest in Tacoma.
This weekend (March 1 to 3), Panther Cheer’s
senior level four team is competing in Dallas at the NCA All-Star Nationals—the
largest cheerleading competition in the United States. This competition will
feature tens of thousands of athletes from 43 states and 10 countries.
“This is our first time attending and we are
excited to represent Canada at this level,” notes Kennedy.
Kennedy and co-owner Dawn Silver are proud of
the grit, determination, passion and dedication all the athletes have
demonstrated this season.
“It is always brings the coaches such pride
to see each of our teams come together and battle hard to hit new stunt
combinations, perform new tumbling sequences, and to wow the crowd with their
outstanding performances,” says Kennedy.
Outside of competing, Panther Cheer athletes
also stand tall as human beings. So far this season they have hosted five
philanthropic events:
• a blood donor clinic run by Canadian Blood
Services
• raised funds and participated in “Light the
Night” walk for the leukemia and lymphoma society
• attended a downtown shelter and helped
serve warm meals to those in need
• organized, raised funds and participated in
the club’s annual community 5K “Panther Pups and Puddles Walk for RAPS” helping
to raise money for animals in Richmond, and
• participated in the “Starts with a Heart”
event where the athletes created handmade Valentines cards and deliver them to
Richmond’s elderly.
“This season’s placings have demonstrated the
growth (that Panther Cheer strives for),” Kennedy says. “Cheerleading is such a
tough sport with so many obstacles and challenges. There is no bench in
all-star cheer. Each and every athlete plays an integral part.”
Information about the club’s 16th competitive
cheerleading season will be soon made available. Interested athletes and
families can emailinfo@panthercheerathletics.com
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