No pom-poms for today’s cheerleaders

The day’s of pom-poms and give me a B-I-S-O-N-S are long gone for the University of Manitoba’s competitive cheerleading squad.
Now it’s more about the stunts and programs than cheers, said Fort Frances member Leah Nowak.
“We don’t have pom-poms,” she explained. “At games we used to cheer, but no one really cared. So now we only do stunts at football games.”
Nowak, a former Muskie cheerleader, joined the U of M squad two years ago and has been grabbing some big air ever since.
As a flyer and tumbler for the champion cheer team, she had to learn to really trust her mates.
“I still worry that I’ll land face down, but they’ve never dropped me yet, even though I’ve broken their noses and given them black eyes,” she remarked.
Last season, the squad brought home an international competition win. They received further recognition by picking up an outstanding achievement award from the City of Winnipeg in March.
Nowak also has graced the pages of the Winnipeg Free Press several times over the past year, including a photo of her famous flying stunt that ran on the front page back in September.
During a season, the team spends up to six hours a week practising and roughly six hours doing stunts at games during a week.
The long hours and hard work helps to develop their physique and prepare their competitive routine, which usually only last about two-three minutes.
“It seems crazy because those couple of minutes on the floor is basically what we train for all season,” Nowak said.
“It’s amazing how much endurance it takes to get all the way through a routine without making any mistakes,” she added.
The squad usually participates in three competitions a season, including the Sea-to-Sky International Cheerleading Championships in Vancouver, where they will be the defending champs this fall.
Sometimes all the training makes Nowak question why she stays in the sport, but ultimately it comes down to her love for activity.
“The teamwork, close friendships, training, and exercise make the season worth it,” she remarked.
“The great feeling you get as a team when you accomplish something together, and the team skills I’ve gained from the experience, will always stick with me.”