Abbotsford’s Valley Stars cheerleaders had an exceptional showing at their home meet, highlighted by a World Championship-qualifying performance from the senior co-ed squad.
The Stars’ second annual Cheer Fest at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre drew 1,500 athletes and 3,000 spectators from B.C., Alberta and the United States.
“Each year Cheer Fest seems to get larger, and each year the talent just keeps improving,” Stars head coach Judy James marveled.
The hosts did more than their share of medal collecting, including gold medals from teams in the Tiny, Youth 1A, Junior 3, Senior 2 and Senior 4 divisions.
But for James, the highlight was the co-ed team, a recent addition to the Stars’ roster.
The group put its routine together in a relatively short time frame, but was still able to get the qualifying score at Cheer Fest to punch its ticket to the International Cheer Union (ICU) World Cheerleading Championships at Disneyworld in Orlando, April 28-29.
“Now we’re back in the gym, making our routine stronger to take to the floor and compete at Worlds,” James said.