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The 33 girls who make up the Desert Storm
Elite All Star Junior Prep team remain undefeated after
earning seven state and national competitions this year.
The girls perform two and a half minute routines involving
tumbling, stunts, dismounts, pyramids and tosses. They
have two remaining competitions.
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Team holding tryouts in April
SCOTTSDALE
Tryouts for the 2006 07 Desert Storm Elite team will
be held April 10 13. The competitive, all star cheer
team has divisions for students through grade 12.
In order to try out, a parent or guardian must attend
one informational meeting. Pre registration can be completed
after the meeting.
The one hour meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March
31, and 4:30 p.m. April 2 at the Desert Storm gym, 9445
E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Suite 2 in Scottsdale.
For information on registration or other team questions,
call (480) 391 0164.
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Cheerleaders
Storm competition
Desert Storm Elite All Stars remain undefeated
SCOTTSDALE
- They're all smiles. And not just because it's necessary
to impress the judges, but because these cheerleaders remain
undefeated after earning seven state and national championships
this season. They are optimistic about their next two competitions.
They are the Desert Storm Elite competitive All Star Junior
Prep cheerleading team. This year's team consists of 33
school aged girls in the second through sixth grade with
more than one third of them coming from Anthem and surrounding
areas.
"These little cheerleaders, they're so amazing,"
said Coach Eric Contreras, who is also the co owner of Desert
Storm Elite, a Scottsdale based gym whose cheerleaders regularly
contend in national competitions. Like figure skaters, cheerleaders
are required to smile even when they make mistakes.
The girls don't seem to mind smiling through it all. They
are proud of their accomplishments and routinely practice
in hopes of continuing their winning streak. Contreras gets
reports from the girls' parents saying their kids won't
stop dancing at home, perseverance evidenced by the girls
dancing across the living room or down the hallway.
Angelica Chavez, an Anthem sixth grader in her second year
on the team, practices almost every day on her own. These
practices complement team rehearsals which occur three nights
per week. "I like to do the tumbling and stunting the
most," she said.
Stunting involves any skill where at least one cheerleader
on the ground supports her teammate in the air. Contreras
is impressed with Chavez's performance and dedication to
the team. He recognizes the hard work she puts into perfecting
the moves for the benefit of the team. "Her abilities
have just soared," Contreras said, noting that she
could barely do a back handspring when she joined the team.
The girls typically learn the two and a half minute routine
on their own pretty quickly. Perfecting the coordination
of such a large team takes longer. Three Desert Storm Elite
coaches regularly help them fine tune the team portion,
a process that takes just over one month. The routines are
performed to medleys of '80s and '90s music with each song
lasting an average of 20 seconds.
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They
do tumbling, stunts, dismounts, pyramids and tosses. Judges evaluate
their precision, creativity, choreography, jumps, stunting and facial
expression.
"I like to do the toe touches for my jumps," said teammate
Anthem resident Kaitlyn Wilson, although she admits that it's a
challenge to get high enough in the air. Her mom, Sheri, describes
the performance as "really high energy the whole way through."
Contreras said the coaches try to instill confidence in the girls,
a task accomplished through training and finding ways to enhance
each performance. The bulk of the routine stays consistent among
the competitions, but some parts are revised to make it more advanced.
For example, when in a pyramid, they might toss a cheerleader who
adds a twist midair before being caught by her teammates. This gives
them the opportunity to score more points.
Their techniques have proved effective. The Junior Prep team placed
first in all seven competitions entered since the season began in
October. They travel the country for various meets. Contreras is
especially proud of their Cheersport National award won in Atlanta,
Georgia, in February because he explained the sport is much more
developed on the east coast. "You do have to be pretty intense
to be able to contend," he said.
While the girls are proud of their success, they remain grounded.
One team mom said it's still a thrill for them each time they win.
The girls look forward to the remaining competitions. They will
compete in the Grand Canyon State Championships April 1 at Veterans
Memorial Coliseum and again April 7 9 for the World Spirit Federation's
Las Vegas Showdown.
Reach the reporter at ambria@thedesertadvocate.com |
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