Officials at Olympia Fields-based Fierce Elite Athletics are firm believers that it’s never too early to start competing on a national level. As a matter of fact, there are 8-year-old cheerleaders who are old-timers at this place.
“We start them out at 4,” co-founder Liana Joyner said. “No matter what their talent is, we bring them in and train them.”
The club’s other co-founder, Nicole Veazey, said starting young is important because there is more than just cheerleading on the line.
“A big thing for us is that we want young women to be empowered,” Veazey said. “Beyond cheer and teaching them the sport of cheer, we want people in the community to see other women who have found their way.”
“That is a big thing for us.”
Developing confidence is also vital.
“Once you cheer in front of hundreds and thousands of people, there is not a whole lot that can shake your confidence,” Veazey said. “If we can start that at 4, when you can go out and cheer in front of thousands of people, there are not a whole lot of people who can shake who you are or what you know you can do.”
Fierce Elite Athletics, which is in its fifth year, produced its first national championship team last month as it won the 8U Small Team Level 2 title at the American Youth Cheer National Championships Dec. 3-6 at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida.
Young athletes from the Southland who competed were Bailee Blankenship, Ryelle Deberry, Janylah Gatlin, Grace Griffin, Sydney Hrobowski, Brooklyn Jackson, Zya Pandy, Peyton Pillow, Khloe Rayson-Gardner, McKenzie Goshay, Kendall Shannon, Naomi Spight, Amiah Turner and Kai Winters.
Latoya Bearden-Gardner and Katrice Shannon coached the champions.
Kai Winters, 7, is one of the youngest members of the team, but that’s routine for her. She is a second grader at Markham Park Elementary School in Markham and takes third-grade courses in reading and math.
“It was very exciting and I felt shocked that we won,” she said.
More surprises were on the way.
Fierce sent four other teams to the nationals, and when the 8U team got back to the hotel, they were greeted with a loud ovation from their teammates.
“I was surprised that they did that,” Winters said. “When we walked in, they were standing there and screaming.”
“It was such a beautiful moment because it really showed what our team stands for,” Veazey said. “Their win was everyone’s win for the whole organization.”
There were different emotions for Winters. While she said the pool at the hotel was her favorite part of the trip, winning the national title was also right up there.
“It was fun, but I was a little bit nervous, though,” she said. “There were so many people there. That was a little scary.”
Winters’ mother, Amaris Winters, is the principal at Markham Park Elementary and is proud of the team.
“I have cried at every single performance,” she said. “As an educator and as a mommy, I burst with pride how much they’ve grown over the years.
“They are learning things that are so invaluable that a lot of kids this age are not going to get until they are older.”
But the cheerleaders are still at that age where the discipline of going through practices and performing at a high level is not always easy. Just getting kids to pay attention is not an easy ask.
“It’s a challenge, but it’s a worthwhile challenge,” Joyner said. “We start with the basics and the fundamentals and practicing how to move like a cheerleader and what being a cheerleader means.
“We lay it out there for what we expect. Then we begin our choreography where we start to practice their routine. We take it one part at a time and break it down for them.”
Fierce has 67 athletes this year, and this national championship could change the dynamic for the club.
The pressure is on, but it’s not because owners or coaches are putting it on them.
“I think they already put it on themselves,” Veazey said. “The pressure is on because the other girls are yearning for that experience and we are pushing for it and know it’s obtainable and within our reach.
“They need to work hard and dig down and dig deep for it.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.