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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 11, 2007 - 25 Go Tigers: Blakelock cheerleading success By Kalia Siept GR. 12, T. A. BLAKELOCK T he T.A. Blakelock Cheerleading team recently placed second in the provincial competition held in Mississauga. This weekend the team will be doing its very best to win top recognition at the National competition in Kitchener. The Blakelock Cheerleading team was formed in 1980 and has been a competitive team since 1983. This group of 23 hard-working athletes spend six hours a week perfecting the routine given to us by our outstanding volunteer coaches: Laura Bound, Stephanie Moed, Melissa Moed, Eric Martel, and Shalabh Tayaland. We are extremely grateful, and fortunate to have such a wonderful group of coaches, who dedicate their time to us and certainly give us the best choreography possible. In addition to our coaches, we must also recognize the contributions made by our Blakelock staff and parent volunteers. Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Vouk, Sabina Moed and Maria Hughes help us out in many ways such as fundraising, keeping our parents informed of important dates and events and giving their never ending support. We would not have a team if it were not for them. We have had a very successful year thus far, placing in the top three at Cheer for the Cure and March Madness, and placing first at our Regional competition in March. In many previous years, the team has placed in the top three at Provincials and Nationals as well. We have maintained our success at the Provincials, and we're ready for the National competitions this weekend. The spring season is the most competitive time of the year. The Tigers' Cheerleading team has 17 returning members and seven rookies. My fellow captains, Olivia Tait, Lauren Box, Emma Robinson and I couldn't be happier with the dedication and commitment put forth by the team this year. Since September, we have come a long way and the amount of talent and pride in our team is incredible. We are certainly honoured to be captains of this team and are excited to perform for our fans because we absolutely love cheerleading for them. As captains, we are all proud of the team for their accomplishments this year and look forward to showing off our routine again this month. This is a very exciting time of year for us because we get to see all of our team members perform to the best of their ability and we are proud of every one of them. Cheerleading involves significant athletic ability including strength, flexibility and endurance. Teamwork is a crucial part of this sport, along with team bonding. Throughout our years on this team we have discovered that if everyone is close on a personal level, we will reach further heights as a team. Competing with the Tigers has been an amazing experience that we have been fortunate to be a part of for the past four years. Being on this team has taught us so much about the importance of joint effort and focused dedication and we certainly could not have learned these skills anywhere else. Thank you for four unforgettable years ladies, and go Tigers. BERTIN STABLES Spring Lessons & Summer Camps · Weekday Lessons 4/$107 or $35/Lesson · Saturday at Farm 10am-3pm $40 (Children 5-12 yrs.) NOW BOOKING (905) 827-4678 www.bertinstables.com