Okanagan cheerleaders to compete in US

Photo: Contributed - Okanagan Firestorm Cheerleaders

Junior Level 2 Pulling Heel stretches at Mardi Parti Cheer Championships in Richmond March 1, 2014

They have put in countless hours of practice and now a group of Okanagan cheerleaders are heading to south of the border to see how they stack up against the best in the US.

The Okanagan Firestorm All-star Cheerleading program is sending their junior and senior teams to compete at Nationals in San Diego, California at the end of March.

Co-head coach, Pete Parrotta says this is a first for a cheerleading squad from the Okanagan and they are excited to be taking 49 girls to the international competition.

“Now that we have the talent to be able to do it, because all the girls have been working really hard, we decided to jump in and see how we place, how we measure up against the teams in the US, because all the top teams in the US are going to be there.”

Only three teams from Canada will be making the trip to San Diego, adds Parrotta.

 “We’re the only one from BC, so we will be representing BC, and obviously the Okanagan, which we’re really excited about.”

The competition takes place March 29 and 30.