Uxbridge cheerleading teams wind up season with national championship titles
Beach Cheer Athletics’ U12 Level 1 team, ‘Soleil,’ featuring Alexa Risebrough at Canadian Nationals. Photo courtesy Beach Cheer Athletics
Beach Cheer Athletics, Uxbridge’s all-star cheerleading team, recently brought home the hardware after competing at both Canadian and international competitions.
Formerly the Air Force Mavericks, this was Beach Cheer Athletics (BCA) first season working out of the 15,000 square foot gym that’s tucked into an industrial park just west of Goodwood. Beach Cheer Athletics also has a Toronto location, which was established in 2013. Between the two locations, BCA had over 37 teams competing at both local competitions (Cheer for the Cure, Oshawa), and further afield (Big East Blast in Ottawa, Canadian Cheer Nationals in Niagara Falls). Some teams were also to Florida for season-end competitions on the international stage
At the National Championships in Niagara Falls, held mid-April, BCA had five teams compete at the invitation-only Canadian finals, including Shade (U18 Level 4) from Uxbridge, and Twilight (U18 Level 4.2), also from Uxbridge, was one of six teams who brought home national championship titles.
From April 23 – May 4, eight BCA teams travelled to Florida to compete in the Youth Summit, the Cheerleading Worlds and Summit – invitation only, Pinnacle competitions. For the first time this year at Youth Summit, international teams were invited to participate. BCA took two youth teams from the Toronto location to Tampa and both teams advanced to finals. Sonic (U12 Level 2) placed 14th overall, while Surge (U12 Level 3) placed 11th overall and was the highest scoring Canadian team across all divisions. On the World’s stage in Orlando, Shockwave (U18 Level 5) placed 10th in Canadian trials and 13th in the world, and Riptide (Open Level 5 Coed) placed 6th in Canadian trials and 10th in the world.
BCA owners Anne Marie Joyce and Suzanne McLay have 50 years of combined experience in the sport of all-star cheerleading. They say they are committed to “bettering and growing the sport of cheerleading.” Joyce has worked with the Team Canada Academy and this season, three coaching staff, including McLay, were selected to lead Youth & Junior Team Ontario in the inaugural season.
All-star cheerleading has gained in popularity in the past decade thanks to programs like “Cheer” and “Cheer Squad” on Netflix. All-star cheer is a team-based performative sport that combines individual skills like tumbling, jumps and choreography with group skills like stunting and pyramids, executed in a 2.5 minute routine.
Competitive Team placements for Beach Cheer Athletics North Beach start Friday, May 10, for the 2024-2025 cheer season. They offer teams and programs for boys and girls, all ages and abilities – no experience necessary. Visit www.beachcheerathletics.com for more information and to register.