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The Holy Trinity Titans cheer team is celebrating a return to the top after capturing first place at Young Canada Day at the Norfolk County Fair.
The victory came after weeks of early mornings, long practices and plenty of work behind the scenes to prepare the team’s rodeo-themed routine.
Norfolk Today spoke with Anessa Garcia, Kyla Dooney, Aimee Wysynski, Cora Nelson and Kylie Varga, who all agreed cheerleading has become much more than another school activity.
That close-knit team has come a long way. Just a few years ago, the Titans weren’t celebrating a first-place finish; they were wondering if they would have enough cheerleaders to compete at Young Canada Day at all.
Anessa remembers showing up for a lunchtime meeting in Grade 9 and finding only four girls in the room.
They eventually found enough people to compete, beginning a climb that would take the Titans from second place, to third last year, and back to first place this fall.
For Cora, one of the team’s first-year members, that meant stepping onto the track in front of roughly 3,000 students for the first time.
She said there were plenty of nerves before the routine, but those quickly disappeared once the music started and the crowd took over.
But those few minutes on the track were the result of weeks of work behind the scenes.
The Titans spent about four weeks building their rodeo-themed routine, starting with a mix of country songs selected by their coaches.
Kyla shared that putting it all together meant some long days.
When the Titans hit the track, judges were looking at much more than whether everyone remembered the routine.
Teams are scored on dance, theme, props, jumps and skills, along with sportsmanship.
Aimee reminded there’s one detail the cheerleaders can never forget…
For graduating members like Kylie, the first-place finish carried a little extra meaning, bringing her Young Canada Day experience full circle.
She has watched younger teammates grow into leaders and plans to return after graduation to cheer on the next generation of Titans.
For the rest of the team, attention will soon turn to what’s next.
After a short break following the fair, the Titans are hoping to put together a stunting team and begin preparing for a competition in March.
That means more early mornings, long practices and plenty of time in the gym, but after a first-place finish at Young Canada Day, the Titans have plenty to cheer about.
Go Titans, go!
Written by Jeremy Hall
