Absolute Academy

Another month... another tumbling clinic at Absolute Academy!  This weekend the atheltes got ALOT of individual attention and the skills just keep on coming.  On Saturday the gym had their kick off BBQ and it was really cool to see all of the kids getting excited for the upcoming season!  Special thanks to Sonja for another amazing weekend and tons of laughs! :) 

West Coast Wildcats

The West Coast Wildcats are back and ready for their best season yet!  Now owned by Leanne and Kelly and Head Coached by Lexi the team has a new look, a new work ethic and a new attitude! 

Kenny & I are doing choreography for their S3, S2 and Y2 routines nad couldn't be more excited! The teams might be a little shocked by the change in pace and drive -but they were certainly up to the challenge :) 

This is a gym we are going to see more often over the course of the upcoming season and we are really looking forward to watching them grow and learn! 

Special thanks to Leanne for being a super hostess!  We can't wait to come back! 

Back to the Rock!

St. Johns, Newfoundland is quickly turning into one of our favorite destinations in all of Canada.  Friendly people, great places and amazing cheer = a great time had by Lisa & Kenny.  We worked with the NLCA Stars and Rock which are a Senior 5 and Co-ed Open 6 teams.  Both teams had full weekend skills camp and worked HARD! 

But beyond the cheerleading we got to go to a fun restaurant with Ninja Turle themed pizza's, had a night out (we still havn't been screeched in yet!) and got to hang out with some super fun people! 

Amy, Mark, Crystal, Caroline and Lisa were amazing as always and we even got a new quote from the weekend.  Apparently, Lisa is the "iron fist" and Kenny is the "velvet glove" .... lol.. comments anyone? 

Flyers

Just a little outside of Montreal is a POWERHOUSE gym with some truly incredible athletes. Flyers All-Starz just might love the color pink more than anyone else in the country - but don't be fooled by their flashy/girlie uniforms - this gym is FIERCE.  

Kenny and I spent the week doing their pre-tryout clinics and we were so impressed by the display of talent, hard work and enthusiasm for cheer.  With over 350 athletes, and some Canadian National Titles to defend Flyers are well on their way to establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with in Canadian Cheer! 

Special thanks to Vanessa and Charles for everything and a shout out to Jarrell :):)  

Cheerforce Wolfpack Camp

While Kenny was in Montreal, Lisa got to travel to Ontario to help out with the Cheer Force Wolfpack summer camp.  Joined by Robbie Gregory, Steph Brodbeck, Beau Davis and Tyler Janes it was the ultimate outdoor adventure and a fantastic way to end the summer!  The staff was joined by 82 enthusiastic campers and we even got to spend the weekend in cabins!  From the fantastic meals to the outdoor bonfire to the hilarious skit night it was such a fun weekend.  Special thanks to Frank, Chris, and our super-guides Jesse and Solo for everything!  

North Shore Extreme

To continue our week of fun in Montreal, Kenny travelled to North Shore Extreme in Laval, Quebec.  There we visited our friends from the OLDEST cheerleading club in Canada :)  Kenny got to teach tumbling and do a little bit of coaches training.   ANd... he even got to work with an athlete from the Cirque training school ... super fun!  

All of the athletes worked very hard and it was so nice seeing everyone again! 

Tumbling with Coyotes

For 2 days in August Kenny & I travelled to the Coyotes Gym in Quebec! We flipped, twisted, and flicked ... lol... our way through 6 tumbling classes ALL IN FRENCH!  The kids worked super hard and were very excited to learn some new tumbling drills and excercises.   Special thanks to Catia for an amazing visit!  We look forward to coming back soon! 

East Coast Spirit

Kenny and I made it back to Saint John, NB and it was SO NICE to be home :)  It had been a couple of months since we had seen the kids at East Coast Spirit... but we NEVER forgot how much we love them and HOW ABSOLUTLEY CRAZY they are! 

We stayed at our usual jaunt... 11 1/2 Dobbin... aka the Apartment under the stairs chez Matt & Joy and even managed to have a coaches night out with the ECS Staff!  I have a feeling that 2009-2010 is going to be the BEST EVER for this martime sensation gym! 

Junior 4 might be smaller, but man - are they STRONGER!  So many kids got new tumbling tricks and each and every one of them tried something new!  Stunting was great and this little team is well on there way.

Senior Senior is back with a vengence... these ladies and Lucas are firece!  The flyers are still as flexible as ever and we are trying a lot of new things, pushing the envelope with this groups.

International Open "Platiunum" is a new team for the ECS gym.  It is a combination of some old and new faces... but with some hard work, I think that this team will show a lot of promise this season.

Overall, it was so great being back with our East Coast family and a fantastic start to the new season! 

Capital City Storm

Ultimate Cheer Ottawa is now Capital City Storm and the change is great!  The team has an incredible new logo, colors and ATTITUDE!  2009-2010 is going to be their year.  We worked with their Junior and Senior teams for 3 days in the Nation's Capital and were excited by all of the progress made!  Allison, Genny, Kathy and Garreth were so great to work with and we are looking forward to seeing more of this team!  

Absolute Academy

Didn't we just leave BC??? lolol... the weather has cooled off ALOT and thank goodness for that - but the gym was still HOT with fierce tumbling!  All of the athletes have come so far in such a short period of time - Kenny & I are truly impressed by their committment, focus and determination to try new things.

Of course, we always have a blast wtih Sonja and this time we were joined by our good friend Tyler from South Elite... good times, good tumbling... good friends - it just doesnt' get much better than this :)

Northwest Silver Stars

Northwest Silverstars have some AMAZING level 4 athletes and these girls WORK!  Kenny was joined by Big Red (World Cup/Cheer Athletics) for 2 days of chorography and the results could not have been better!  Not only does the routine have only 2 transitions  -but these girls have come so far!  We are super excited for their season!  X-tra thanks to Christina and Big Red!  Till next time! 

Cheersport Sharks

Back to Cambridge!  We got to spend a fun 4 days with our friends at the Shark Tank!  TEAL IS LOVE is the new theme for the 2009-2010 season and it is certainly evident in the gym.  The Sharks boast some of Canada's most talented, polite, respectful and well-disciplined athletes!  Every time we get to work with their teams we are amazed by their drive and determination.  The attitude in their gym is CONTAGIOUS!  This of couse, is a HUGE testament to Ali and Alana - Cheersport Gym Owners - but never the less  we strive to bring a little bit of "Shark" attitude with us to the other programs we work with all over Canada, the US and UK!  

Special mention to Silver Tips who have stepped it up BIG TIME and of course G-DUBS who never cease to amaze :)  Thanks for a great trip! 

Les Lys/Academie Saint Louis & Les Cobras de Quebec

What can we say.... we LOVE LOVE LOVE Quebec City. By far one of the PRETTIEST and most CHARMING cities we have travelled to throughout Canada! From the old european buildings, to the horse drawn buggy and carriage - the charm and culture are EVERYWHERE!

We began our weekend by working with Academie St. Louis - Canada's Small Coed National Championship team! The kids were HARD workers and really worked to improve their tumbling, increase their skill and polish up their technique. Our goal for them is to continue their winning streak - but to increase their overall scores. We hope that by refining their presentation, elevating their skill and incorporating more tumbling that this will be possible.

Next, we worked with the Lys - and man, they have some exceptionally talented technical stunters. Lisa was sick with a sinus infection - but Kenny rocked it out and gave them lots of co-ed skills and innovative transitions to work on.

Finally, we got to work with the Senior 4, International Open and Co-ed Squads of the Cobras de Quebec and we were so impressed by the number of kids in this program - their enthusiasm for cheer and the discipline in their practices!

The weekend was full of highlights! So many new skills, and so much improvement! Special thanks to Phil, Jennifer, Joelle (for lunch) and especially Cat for being our tour guide, hostess with the mostess, social director and fun companion :):)

We love Quebec City so much! We just can't wait to come back and visit again!

Absolute Academy

Wow! Probably one of our HOTTEST camps all summer :) Despite the INCREDIBLE Vancouver heatwave (105 degrees !!) our tumbling clinics at Absolute were once again ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS.

It was so great to see so many athletes come out - both young and old - to learn new skills, adapt their techniques and progress beyond our wildest imaginations.

I will tell you, if these kids are able to accomplish all of this with extreme heat, exhaustion and intense training conditions - I can't wait to see what they put out on the floor.

Of course - no trip to VAN CITY would be complete without some fun with SONJA! From the incredible Delta Hotel, to a fun night out at Chill Winstons, to Lisa's solo adventures, the MEC Bag that Kenny hates to LOVE and a super fun trip to PLAYLAND (Lisa was not so brave!) preceded by lunch with Shawn Smith the trip was a welcome break from the norm!

In fact we loved it so much we're going back.... in 2 weeks :)

Cape Power Cheerleading!

Kenny and I finished a great week up in Sydney Nova Scotia with the CPC Club teams! This visit we got to do skills and tumbling with the Knights, Warriors, Titans and Marshalls and had an amazing time :)

The Knights were working Level 2/3 skills and are lucky to have many graduated Rangers to pull from! They worked super hard on their motion sequence and ALL kicked butt in tumbling classes! They are a young team - but they have a lot of heart and were such a pleasure to work with.

The Warriors just might be the sleeper team of the 2009-2010 season! THESE KIDS ARE FIERCE! Super hard workers, they are already maxing out a ton of Level 3 skills and they are pretty fun! lol. NOW IF WE CAN JUST GET THEM TUMBLING! HINT! HINT! HINT!

The Titans are back ON TOP! With many new Knights and some great younger flyers - skills were an absolute DREAM! They learned alof of new skills and we are trying to push them towards tumbling -- in fact, the entire club has made it a goal :)

Marshalls, despite missing a few girls to the beach and a concert (WHO IS JUSTIN BEAVER AND WHY ARE ALL THE CAPE BRETON GIRLS MESMERIZED BY HIM!?!) skills were SO MUCH BETTER from last year. The girls listened, were hard workers, and got so much accomplished.

While Hero's weren't scheduled for skills we did get to tumble and stunt with them a bit and if it is ANY indication - they are off to a great start!

BUt.... my personal favorite accomplishment of the entire week was the 9 BRAND NEW backhandsprings that happend in 1 CLASS! WOO HOO!

Of course, we ALWAYS have a blast with the CPC gang... special thank to all of the coaches/parents and athletes who made our trip a success.

A FEW NOTES:

1. THe bar at the Delta has THE BEST food. PERIOD.
2. The spring strip is now fixed.
3. Never leave your passport at the Capri (especially if you need it to fly)
4. Rita's Strawberry tea from the Fudge Company is INSANE!
5. The Delta is NOT the Martin Arms
6. Lisa has officially sprayed the entire competition floor with bug spray.
7. Tasty treat is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Good.
8. The Farmer's Market has the best salsa ever
9. I got the "extra attention" pat down at YHZ...
10. My luggage broke :(
11. Aaron & I went on a True Blood book spree! WOO HOO!
12. Kenny & I are super excited to have Brit & Adam teach tumbling for us!

Newfoundland Stars & The Rock!

Spring has arrived in St. Johns, Newfoundland!  This was our first visit to the province and it could not have gone any better.  The true purpose of the trip was for me to do some credentialing - but we got to sneak in some extra time with  2 of the provinces all-star teams - the Rock and the Stars.  

What is so incredible about the Stars program is that it is a true competitive all-star team, with over 100 athletes competing for one of 36 spots on the team!  This squad will compete at Cheer Expo in Montreal and Halifax and we are super excited to get to see them during the course of their season.

The Rock team is an open collegiate level squad that competes every year at PCA nationals.  Both teams worked very hard on stunts, tosses and tumbling - which was VERY IMPRESSIVE.

Although we did not get screeched in - we got to try some incredible local food, see some great sights and visit the infamous St.George street!  

We are really looking forward to coming back and working with these teams even more!  Special thanks to Amy, Caroline, Mark, Krystal and all of the others so made this trip such a blast! 

Cheer Sport Great White Sharks Camp!

Greetings from Muskoka, Ontario!  By far one of the best camps of the summer so far!  We spend so much time in the gym it is nice to get out into the outdoors every once in a while and have a change of pace.  For the Cheer Sport Sharks Great White camp we did just that.

Camp began by travelling to Cheer Pride in Barrie, Ontario where the kids worked on their tumbling and some stunting.  Cheer Pride is another gym we work with so it was super exciting to visit Heather and see some of her athletes as well :)  From there, our journey continued to Ali's family cottage in Muskoka and that's when the fun began! 

Ali has an AMAZING cottage that backs onto a lake.  We got to kayak, canoe, swin, build camp fires and Kenny even got to sleep on a boat!  We spent Wednesday and Thursday at the Beach working on pyramids, full ups, secret skills and playing messy games! 

Camp was great in so many ways - special thanks to Ali who always exceeds expectations and to all of the G-Dubs who are an absolute pleasure to coach!  

Northwest Silver Stars

In Bellingham, Washington  - a small town close to the Canadian border there is a powerhouse little gym called the Northwest Silver Stars! Kenny got to work with their Senior Level 4 team on tumbling and skills and we are super excited for choreography coming up later in the summer.

This team WORKS!  Despite some new members, the squad worked hard to catch on to new techniques and aquire skills that will be used in their competition routine! 

Speical thanks to Christina for all of her charm and hospitality :)  

Future Cheer Nationals - ENGLAND

Spring is back in the UK!  This is our 3rd time in the country and we were super excited to be a part of Future Cheer's International Championships in Brighton!  We spend an incredible weekend watching some of the UK's premier cheerleading programs vie for bids to the 2010 cheerleading world's and were so impressed by the progress ALL TEAMS have made over the course of the last competition season.

I was judging All-Star Dance and Kenny was in charge of the warm up room in the Main venue.  We got to see our good friends from Ascension Eagles and met many new teams and programs to cheer for :)  

Special thanks to Andrea and Tess from Future Cheer who took such amazing care of us, and to all of our American friends who we got to catch up with during the competition! 

We even got to spend 2 days with personal friends Heather and Ben and got to ride the Eye of London - which is a HUGE ferris wheel with an incredible view of the city.

The UK is always one of our favorite places to visit and this trip was no exception!  

Absolute Academy

Okay, okay... so we are VERY FAR behind.   We've been having so much fun travelling and spending time with our friends in Canada, the US and Europe that we have not bee updating our blog as much as we should.  So today, we will do a series of blogs - updating the various camps and things that we've done over the last month :)  We promise to be MUCH better moving forward! 

First, Absolute Academy.  We had an incredible weekend of tumbling and fun with Sonja, Jocelyne and all of their athletes in beautiful North Vancouver!  Joined by Beau Davis from Cheer Extreme, we got to tumble with some amazing kids and get to visit an incredible city! 

Highlights were definately cupcakes at the cupcake shop, Sonja's Birthday party (and fabulous dinner), followed by an even better time at Chill Winston's.  We made a brand new friend.... MANNY and couldn't seem to quit laughing! 

An amazing weekend!  

Another fun night at the tank!

Sorry Kenny  & I found ourselves in Barrie, Ontario and seeing as how it was a Wednesday night we deceided to make a short trip down the 401 to attend the 2nd practice of the Great White Sharks (Cheersport) I can't tell you enough how immensely talented this group of girls are.  From standing tumbling, to running tumblings and even the very beginning of partner stunting I can tell you that this is going to be a very special season for this team.

Its so amazing to see that a team from Canada can push the boundaries in so many areas, and take on some of the TOP programs in cheerleading today.... 

It is such a priviledge and honor for us to be able to attend these practices and work with these kids... we can't say enough how much we enjoy the entire VIBE and ENERGY surrounding the Cheersport gym.  It is unlike ANYTHING either of us has experienced before - in Canada or the USA.

I guess its just another reminder that a group of dedicated people with a shared purpose can truly change the world....  its the only thing that ever has - and in the "cheerleading world" G=dubs are DEFINATELY that group :) 

Cheersport Sharks

TEAL IS THE NEW BLACK!   Kenny and I were joined by Beau Davis of Cheer Extreme NC for a fantastic weekend of tumbling at the tank!   It was so impressive to watch these atheltes and depth of this program overall! Classes ranged from kids learning their backhandspring to working on double fulls and specialty passes!  It was truly incredible to watch.

Ali and Alana, were as always nothing short of spectacular to us :)  They are not only AMAZING coaches .. but AMAZING people as well :):)  

So many kids, made progress this weekend that there are too many to shout out - but we will say that Canada does not know what is brewing in the waters out in Cambridge....  the Great White Sharks - Canada's most decorated Level 5 cheerleading team (1st at Canadian Nationals 3x in a row and 3rd at the Cheerleading Worlds) are ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING!  From stunting, to tosses, to pyramids, to tumbling... this team just continues to raise the bar for Canadian cheerleaders.

Kenny is super excited to be working with that team on a more regular basis and after their 1st practice together - all we have to say is the BEST has just gotten BETTER....WAYYYYYYYY BETTER (its okay Ali if I brag :):):)  

Anyways, another fun stop on the road... we have a couple of days off and then we are heading to Vancouver for our clinic at Absolute Academy with Fusion, Absolute and West Coast :)

TTYS!

L.

Cheer Pride

What a fantastic set of clinics at Cheer Pride in Barrie, Ontario!  Kenny and I got to work with an enthuasiastic, athletic and STRONG group of athletes over 3 days of tumbling clinics.  The first class worked super hard on improving their series backhandspring tumbling and tryout out tucks, while the advanced group clean up layouts, worked on standing tumbling and got into some fulls and specialty passes!  We were so impressed by their work athletic, strength and determination!  All great qualities to have :)

Not to mention, Barrie is pretty close to Collingwood and Wasaga Beach (where I was born :)  So we got to visit the house my parents built, the Beach, Blue Mountain and do a little side stop at the Lorna Dune (who makes the BEST twist ice creme and poutine in Ontario! ) 

We can't thank Heather enough for letting us visit her gym and work with her kids... we can't wait to come back :)

ECS ROCKS!

What a fantastic weekend! Four cheerleading gyms (ECS, ECS PEI, Starlight and CCA) from New Brunswick/PEI got together to attend Spring's 1st 2009 Tumbling clinic series at ECS in Saint John. Over 86 athletes participated in a number of sessions that we conducted by Beau Davis and Dan Olvera from Cheer Extreme NC and Kenny from Spring!

The results were AMAZING!!!! So much talent, so much progression and so many kids left energized and excited about tumbling for the upcoming season!

Our next clinic is at Cheer Pride in Barrie, Ontario, then we are heading to Cheersport Sharks for a fun weekend in Cambridge!

East Coast Spirit - Round 2`

Okay... so I had a super amazing post all ready to go and then it wouldn't post and I lost it :( Soooo... this is going to be the "coles notes"version of my original.

1. Flew into Saint john and picked up at airport by Joy
2. Tim Hortons has iced coffee- try it.
3. So amazing seeing all the kids/parents/coaches at ECS :):)
4. Paris stunt group is AMAZING!!! Way to go Jordan, Krista, Chantel, Danielle and Vicki!
5. Excited to start filming for Cheer Fever photoshoot
6. Can't wait for Beau & Dan from Cheer Extreme to get here for tumbling clinics
7. 1 day away until I head out to Newfoundland Provincials!!

Super tired.... ready for bed... nice to be on the road again visiting all of our friends :)

Nite Nite...

L.

Heading to ECS!

After a fantastic night in Montreal with North Shore Extreme we are heading to Saint John, NB today for clinics with East Coast Spirit!  The North Shore kids worked so hard and were so enthusiastic about tumbling, it was so much fun to work with them! 

We are super excited to be joined by our good friend Beau Davis from Cheer Extreme and can't wait for him to get to Canada...  our flight leaves later this afternoon which leaves just enough time for lunch at St. Hubert at the Montreal Airport :) 

Summer 2009 starts today!

Hello everyone!  It's official!  Spring's summer tour 2009 starts today!  We just arrived in Montreal, Quebec and are sad to say that its just a quick stop-over on our way to New Brunswick!  We are meeting with our friends from the Flyers Cheerleading Gym and then will be working with North Shore Extreme tonight :)  

The weather is absolutely gorgeous and we have already snacked on THE BEST poutine I think either of us has ever had.  It's been great having the last few weeks at home ... but it is time to get back on the road and see all of our old friends :) 

2009-2010 Cheerleading Season!

The 2008-2009 is almost over and it seems like plans are already underway for 2009-2010! On behalf of everyone here at Spring we would like to thank you for an INCREDIBLE season!  We are so proud of every single athlete, team and program we worked with this year!  The results have been outstanding!  

Watch for news about our SPRING TOUR of power tumbling clinics taking place in Cambridge, Ottawa, Sydney, Halifax, Saint John and North Vancouver this spring!  

Our best season yet is about to begin - we hope you will join us! 

WELCOME

Hey Everybody! 

Welcome to our new blog!  So many of you have said we should write about our adventures on the road so here it is!  Be sure to check back often... who knows maybe we'll be writing about our visit at your gym next!  L.