Youthful enthusiasm is in full bloom as members of Williams Lake's new cheer leading program prepare to compete at provincials on March 1 and 2 in Abbotsford.
During a dress rehearsal Friday, Feb. 21, held in the basement of the Church on Eleventh, Cariboo Cheer All Stars coach Brittany Brunoro said they had been practising since mid-October.
She has two groups - junior and senior - and said they have been having lots of fun.
"They've learned so much from the time that they started until now," she said. "They are learning to really love it and you can see that their passion has really grown over the past few months."
Their outfits are black and hot pink with lots of sequins and the word 'Cariboo' stretches across the front of their tops, short for their official name Cariboo Cheer All Stars.
"We ordered them and Titan Built Construction sponsored them," Brunoro said of the costumes. "My husband works for them." Support was also provided by Beamac Installations.
Brunoro wanted to do cheer when she was a child but never had the opportunity so when her daughter Paris Kristianson was young, she got her into it and became involved with a cheer program.
When they moved to Williams Lake a year ago, and learned there was no local sports cheer program, Brunoro decided to start one herself.
"They do jumps, tumbles, stunts," she explained, adding it's a mixture of dance and gymnastics.
Chevy Alcock, one of the seniors, said she heard about cheer from a friend.
"I like a lot of the movement and learning new things," she said of what she enjoys and "yes" she is excited to go to the provincials.
In a previous interview she said there are a total of 29 different programs, universities and schools that are affiliated with BC Sport Cheer across the province.
BC Sport Cheer is organizing the competition and Brunoro expects there will be groups from all over the province attending.
When asked if the girls have done any cheering at local sports events, she said, "they have not, just competitions."
