By Sarah Stone

PA cheer team jumps in as new provincial champs

Apr 1, 2014 | 4:36 PM

A group of Prince Albert girls cheered their way to the top.

The Prince Albert Cheer Explosion (PACE) all-star cheerleading team is the new division champions after competing at the S.C.A. Provincials in Regina this past weekend.

Head coach Sandra Horne said the team has been training since the fall and competing since February.

“They worked hard. [In] all of their competitions in Saskatchewan this year, they have been in first place, so they knew that they could achieve their goal of being in first place and they did by like 30 points,” she said.

This year, PACE put more emphasis on perfecting its tumbling. Something Horne said made a difference in their performances.

BDO Debt Solutions

No Spend January Challenge

Jan 02, 2025

Year enders

Year in review: A look at Prince Albert's top stories of 2024

Jan 01, 2025

6'5" defencemen addition

Raiders acquire Fabrizi from Red Deer in exchange for Pederson

Dec 31, 2024

“We worked a lot on our tumbling this year that is one of our lower points on our routine. I’ve always said I’m a cheerleading coach, I’m not a gymnastics coach, so gymnastics is not my strong point at all but they’ve picked up quite a bit with their tumbling and that’s what they needed,” she said.

To keep the crowd entertained, music plays a key role, according to Horne.

“We stick with like the 80s music. It seems to keep the crowd involved because the parents know the songs instead of like the chart toppers. There’s really no story behind our routine; it has to include certain elements—stunts, tumbling, jumps, dance and choreography,” she said.

PACE’s next and final competition of the season is this month in Edmonton. Around 180 teams from Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Saskatchewan will be competing.

sstone@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahstone84