MOOSE JAW - The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs cheerleaders finished second at the annual Best of the West competition in Moose Jaw on Feb. 10.
ECS competed in the senior intermediate scholastic division, finishing with a total of 67.20, just two points back of Thom Collegiate in Regina. They were ahead of Aden Bowman Collegiate in Saskatoon and John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford.
Bonnie Chepil-Kvamme, who coaches the team alongside Ashley Tedford, said the Elecs are a relatively young team, and for four of the 13 members, it was their first large competition.
"They had to shake out the bugs and get a feel for it, because it's overwhelming going in as a new person," she said.
The stunts were better during the warm-ups, but Chepil-Kvamme pointed out they didn't have hundreds of people watching at that point.
"They were very engaging with the crowd. Their energy and enthusiasm were maintained throughout the whole performance. We didn't have any falls, which was pretty good. Our stunts stayed in the area. Our tops did not hit the ground."
The cheer team performed at the Estevan home games for the McLeod Series a few days later, which gave them more experience in front of a large audience.
Up next for the cheer team will be provincials in Saskatoon on March 16. Chepil-Kvamme said they will be facing more teams, but last year Estevan finished second out of eight teams despite having a very young squad.
"I'm definitely going to take the comments of the judges and definitely, rigorously, go through the routine, make a few changes, make a few additions. It's nice to have that feedback coming from those expert judges at these competitions."
She believes they will have a better performance at provincials now that the new athletes have performed in front of a crowd.
"A competition can be very intense. There are thousands of cheer athletes together and stunts are flying everywhere and music is going constantly. It can be quite an overwhelming thing. Walking into it definitely can give you a case of the jitters."
