In 2019, they won the first-ever B.C. cheerleading championship in their inaugural year as a competitive squad.
It’s fair to say season two’s expectations have been set to the skies and beyond for the Prince George All-Stars, who begin defending the provincial crown this weekend.
According to head coach Jessica MacDonald, who spearheaded the program after leading Prince George Secondary cheerleading for three years, there are now double the amount of All-Stars for 2020, including the senior team ranging from 11 to 18 years old.
She says the team’s popularity virtually doubled after they claimed the B.C. banner in Kamloops last April.
“We lost some athletes after Christmas, either financial or medical reasons, but everything is looking really great with our older teams,” she said to PrinceGeorgeMatters earlier this month while her athletes were performing for parents and friends at the Kinsmen Centre.
“We were able to accommodate some more recreational kids in our group, so they have a group of 30 and with the competitive groups there’s about 35 of them. We have quite a few right across all our teams who are brand new to cheer and are just learning from the get-go. So, this year, we were able to start in September instead of December.”
The Prince George All-Stars Cheer squad, in its 1st season as an established program, won the inaugural B.C. Provincial Cheerleading Championships in Kamloops 🌟🏆 | https://t.co/ZZC6lcUlz6 #CityOfPG @BC_Cheerleading @cheercanada @PGMatters pic.twitter.com/iPYlJ9jgYM
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) April 22, 2019
The Senior All-Stars have a new look with modern cheerleading uniforms for the girls as a reward for last season’s efforts, but they’re also sporting a new attitude in understanding what’s at stake in March.
For Katana Ridland, a second-year cheerleader, she believes repeating a championship is possible with a little encouragement.
“I just think that if one bad thing happens, that you can only go up from there and going down is not really an option,” the 17-year-old PGSS student said, claiming her previous experience and never-give-up attitude can help lift rookies’ spirits.
“If you try, you’re going to do better. You just have to put in the effort for it [...] I think it’s going to get bigger. I think we’re going to do good in competition, we’re going to kill it and our club is going to get bigger and bigger.”
A big focus for the Prince George All-Stars this year is fighting the mental challenges that come with defending a provincial title.
Coach MacDonald explains with the senior team moving up a competition plateau, the level of discipline is also raised to keep up with the other teams.
“I really just want to see no deductions on our score sheets and that everybody is out there with a smile on their face,” she said.
“With our senior team this year, we’re a ‘Level One’ senior team, so that means that we’re competing for two minutes and 30 seconds against other teams that are the elite of ‘Level One’ on the floor. That’s probably what the hardest part is for them, so we do a little bit of extra mental preparation, just reminding them to be safe on the floor, keep a positive attitude, eat well, drink lots of water and just be healthy in general. If we lose any of those athletes, then we’re kind of hooped for a lot of our stunts.”
From Ridland’s perspective as one of the veteran athletes, she says that’s exactly what cheerleading is all about.
“I find that it helps with exercise, obviously, and it just keeps you going. You have something to do all the time and you’re not just sitting at home doing nothing and it makes you want to get out and do stuff.”
Ridland adds she started competitive cheerleading as a result of watching various Netflix shows about the sport’s lifestyle and community.
With her eyes set on joining the internationally-recognized Thompson Rivers University cheer team after high school, she says she’s going to make her final year with Prince George count.
“I just love the environment of hanging out with people, getting along and dressing up; winning is pretty fun too.”
The Senior All-Stars are heading down to Richmond to compete in the Mardi Parti Cheer Extravaganza this Saturday (Feb. 22) and Sunday (Feb. 23).
Provincial championships are in Vancouver next month following the Feel the Power West Coast Championships at the PNE Forum.
