Cheer club shows enthusiasm

Owner Paige Young said there's no experience needed to be on the squad at Silver Spirit All-Stars Cheer and Dance Club. Silver Spirit is a year-round cheer, dance and tumbling club promoting physical activity and good sportsmanship.

"You don't have to try out," said Young. "There's a place for everybody on the squad."

Young ran a Pop Warner level cheer program and competitive squad in Southern California and runs Silver Spirit with the help of partners Kim Rowe and Liz Biasotti.

Young's daughter, Halee Young, will be head coach at Silver Spirit. Halee, 18, has been cheering since the age of 6 and was coach and judge with Jamz, an all-star cheer organization. She has nine years experience with Pop Warner cheer, six years in competitive all-star cheer, three years as an all-star coach and has been a national champion five times.

"We wanted to do some sort of business and this was logical since there's nothing like this in the community," said Paige Young. "It provides kids with a healthy activity. It's open to anyone - it's not a popularity contest. Everyone will come out of it with something."

When it was first created, the cheer club was named Sierra Spirit. When Young found out there was another new cheer club in Reno with the same name, they renamed their business Silver Spirit All-Stars Cheer and Dance Club. They are not connected with the Reno club.

Silver Spirit is open to girls and boys from 5-18 years of age. Young said they would like to get more boys interested in cheer club.

"There's a lot of kids who want to play baseball or football," Young said. "It's not their thing, but they still want to be competitive."

Class schedules will include instruction for pee-wees, fourth-grade and under; juniors, ninth-grade and younger and seniors, 12th grade and younger Juniors and seniors practice two hours, twice a week. Each session includes one hour of tumbling. A separate one-day stunt class will be offered soon.

Silver Spirit is looking for more people to round out their staff. Needed are a tumbling coach and two part-time assistant coaches with cheerleading experience. All coaches will be American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Administrators safety certified.

"This is a full-blown competitive sport," said Young. "They don't cheer the school teams - they actually cheer for themselves and their competitors."

Young said cheer and dance club could benefit younger girls who might want to eventually try out for high school cheerleading squads.

"Many are afraid of try-outs and rejection, but it's not about that," said Young. "It's about sportsmanship and everybody being a part of a team."

"We tell them the things they need to know - the safe way to do things," said Biasotti. "They just have to have an interest."

Silver Spirit All-Stars Cheer and Dance Club holds registration at the Douglas County Parks & Recreation annex, across from Lampe Park from 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 11 and noon-3 p.m. May 20.

For more information, call 265-7414.

What: Silver Spirit All-Stars Cheer and Dance Club registration

When: 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 11 and noon-3 p.m. May 20

Where: Douglas County Parks & Recreation annex, across from Lampe Park

Info: stuntstars@yahoo.com or 265-7414