Give
me a G. G! Give me an O. O! Give mean an L. L! Give me a
D. D? What does that spell? GOLD! What does that spell?
GOLD! That's the cheer that could be heard in Niagara Falls
earlier this month after the Flyers All-Starz Starlight
cheer team won the gold medal in the Youth Level 2 division
at the Canadian Cheer Championships.
The group
of 19 five- to 11-year-olds were fourth after the first
day of competition and then blew the judges away with their
second routine on Day 2 to finish the competition in first
place.
The national
championships brought together 360 teams from across Canada
and the United States including 36 members of the Flyers
All-Starz. Each routine is judged on five elements � stunts
or stacking, jumping, tumbling, and overall performance.
Besides
the first place result, the Flyers also came home with a
fourth place result, two sixth place results and a seventh
place finish. Not bad for a little gym in Orléans.
The Flyers
All-Starz Cheer Gym is owned by the Flyers All-Starz in
Montreal which bought the facility on Vimont Court from
Ottawa Cheer Elite in 2016. The gym has both a competitive
and recreational program. They even have a cheer program
for the moms.
The students
are as young as three and go right up to adults. The kids
who come to the gym and enroll in the program come from
a variety of different disciplines. Some have a gymnastics
or a dance background, some come from figure skating or
synchronized swimming, and some have no previous athletic
experience at all.
Flyers
All-Starz manager Kelly Nightingale says most of the kids
who try it out stick around for the camaraderie and the
sheer fun of cheering.
"The best
part about cheer is that there's always a place for you.
If you're not terribly proficient at tumbling you can fit
in somewhere else. There's always a place for you on the
team and everyone supports each other,� says Nightingale.
Team cheering
is a combination of dance, gymnastics and fitness which
requires a great deal of cardio. Cheering took a giant leap
into the mainstream in 2016 when the International Olympic
Committee named it a provisional sport, which means it can
apply to become an official Olympic event in the 2028 Summer
Olympics in Los Angeles.
They already
have a World Championship with teams from more than 60 different
countries taking part in last year's event. That's right,
the International Cheerleading Union, or ICU, is made up
of more than member countries with 4.5 million registered
athletes.
To find
out more about cheering, drop by the Flyers All-Starz Cheer
Gym at 1671 Vimont Court and check it out for yourself.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
CANADA DAY AT THE LEGION – Canadian Legion Branch 632 on Taylor Creek Road will be hosting a fun-filled day of family-friendly activities with music and food starting at 11 am. FREE FOR EVERYONE 
ORLEANS FARMERS MARKET every Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road. Shop the freshest seasonal produce, meat and dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, crafts and more while getting to know the folks who grew and made it.
CUMBERLAND FARMERS MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village with 85 local farmers and vendors ready to showcase their freshest produce, handmade goods, and unique finds! FREE ADMISSION 
STRAY DOG BREWING COMPANY presents Crroked Creek live and in concert in their taproom. From Montreal, Crooked Creek effortlessly blends bluegrass and country music genres. Tickets $15 available at 
