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SPANISH WELLS TOPS PYRAMID FOR WIN

“Awwww, they scared, they scared…” was the chant of some schools participating in Cheermania 2012, the primary school cheerleading competition hosted by Bahamas Star Gymnastics in conjunction with Bahamas Gymnastics Parent Booster Club. The event, formerly Dancing with the Stars, witnessed a doubling of participating teams in the second year of competition with a showcase of talent, energy and hours of preparation on Saturday March 24, 2012 at The Source River Complex (formerly Bacardi plant). Defending champions, St. Francis/Joseph Primary School, was challenged by St. Anne’s, St. Bede’s, St. Cecelia’s, St. Thomas More and Spanish Wells for the 2012 top spot. By the end of the evening, Spanish Wells School, the smallest team of competitors, clinched the title and the rights to the top prize.

Judges for the evening were Hallnika Bodie, Vonya Rahming and Idania Garcia-Stroud. Tally Master was Monique de Swanton. Awards for the participating teams were presented by Mr. Timothy Munnings, director of sport Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture (“MOYSC”), Mr. Miles Yallop, Sports Liaison Officer for gymnastics at MOYSC, Mr. Robert Butler, VP of Bahamas Taekwondo Federation, Ms. Deyane Russell director of Bahamas Star Gymnastics (“BSG”), Mr. Alexander Mayet, head coach and director of BSG, Mr. Van Dyke Saunders, President of BSG and Mrs. Rita Curtis, President of Bahamas Gymnastics Parent Booster Club. Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Kevan Dean, a volunteer parent and substitute coach of BSG. The recreational and competitive squads of Bahamas Star Gymnastics interspersed the cheerleading routines with demonstrations of gymnastics routines to the crowd’s delight.

Challenger teams drew numbers to determine the order of their performance. Kick starting the night’s event was St. Thomas More’s team who were beautifully adorned in navy Androsia print. Under the leadership of Coach Chea, the first team out of the blocks delivered their statement that they were in the house to be the “number one” contender for the evening. Not to be outperformed St. Anne’s, St. Bede’s, St. Cecilia’s and Spanish Wells “brought it on” as they appeared on stage. The Blue Waves of St. Anne’s followed second with lots of cartwheels and an impressive choreography by Coach Burrows. St. Bede’s “did not need BTC to deliver their message” that victory was within their grasp. St. Cecilia’s red & white attired cheerleaders, under Coach Bastian, pulled out all of the stops to convince the judges that they should be the 2012 victors. Last up for the challenger schools was Spanish Wells, chaperoned and coached by Coach Pinder, who wowed the crowd with pyramids and several stunts with the highest degree of difficulty. St. Francis/Joseph Primary School, under Coach McPhee, proved why they were the ones to beat for the title. The “rodeo hats” and music declared the 2011 champions had returned to the stage to repeat their previous year’s feat.

In the cheerleading division, Spanish Wells School was declared the winner and walked away with the First Place trophy and the claim to the $1,000 cash prize donated by ILS Limited. Defending Champions for 2011, St. Francis/Joseph ceded their title to Spanish Wells but claimed the Second Place trophy and the $750 cash prize donated by SunOil/FOCOL. St. Thomas More clinched third place away from St. Anne’s who ranked third in 2011. With the Third Place trophy, St. Thomas More earned the $500 cash prize donated in part by Power Tech. Book donation to all of the participating school’s libraries was made possible by the generosity of 100% Bible Book Store. Other sponsors of the event include Kerzner International, McDonalds, BahamasLocal, DairyQueen/Mr. Pretzels, Castrol and Echo Water.

St. Bede’s captured the Top Average GPA award with the prize of a laptop computer donated by Physicians Alliance. This award was included to encourage students’ pursuit of excellence in academics while building their interest and participation in athletics or other enrichment activities.

“I think that it came down to Spanish Wells and St. Francis/Joseph” was the view of one spectator. Another patron noted, “I was here to support [another school] but I feel that the judging was right on with Spanish Wells…their skills were superior”. The view of a parent of Temple Christian whose team was not competing supported, “all of the other teams danced with a few stunts but Spanish Wells delivered real cheerleading stunts and that gave them the edge”. Spanish Wells’ team of 12 competitors arrived in Nassau on Saturday morning with part of their trip underwritten by Bahamas Fast Ferries. The team who has practiced together for years learnt of the competition on Facebook just two weeks beforehand. They reunited after a year long hiatus and used their seven days of practice to dominate the Nassau based schools.

Bahamas Gymnastics Parent Booster Club (“BGPBC”) was formed as a non-profit entity in 2009 with one of its primary goals of supporting gymnasts. Bahamas Star Gymnastics (“BSG”), also a non-profit entity, operates the training facility at The Source River Center, formerly Bacardi Plant and home of other talented gym stars from levels 1-9. Classes for boys and girls are scheduled weekly. While incorporated as separate entities, both clubs work jointly to promote the sport of gymnastics in the country. The relationship established by both BGPBC and BSG with clubs in the United States led to the hosting of Atlantis Crown Gymnastics Invitational in December 2011 on Paradise Island.