Kingston Elite teams cap off season with national titles
Kingston Elite All Star Cheerleading capped off a successful 2022-2023 season this past weekend, as the local club took home five national titles at the 2023 Canadian All-Star Nationals in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Competing alongside 8,000 athletes from across Canada, Kingston Elite squads put on a clinic throughout the entire three-day competition, as all eight teams secured top-five finishes.
“It was a very, very successful weekend for us, which is obviously great to see,” said Kingston Elite owner and director Laura King. “We’re happy to see our teams do so well because they work so hard. So, to see their hard work pay off is awesome.”
Canadian All-Star Nationals is an open event held every year, allowing cheer teams from across the country to compete for a series of national championship titles. In total, Kingston Elite clubs competed across eight different divisions throughout the event, with ages ranging from U12 to U18. A complete breakdown of results for Kingston Elite teams is as follows:
- Rose – U12 Level 1 – National Champions and Judges’ Choice for Level 1
- Tiffany – U12 Level 2 – National Champions
- Scarlet – U16 Level 1 – 4th Place
- Lace – U16 Level 2 – National Champions
- Midnight – U16 Level 4 – 2nd Place
- Blush – U18 Level 3 – 4th Place
- Imperial – U18 Level 5 – National Champions
- Ice – Open Level 3NT – National Champions
With five teams taking home national titles, as well as Team Rose’s Judges’ Choice honours, the 2023 event was overwhelmingly positive for Kingston Elite, as the club continued its proven track record of success at major competitions. As for why the club has performed so well for over a decade, King credited the strength of her coaches.
“We’ve always done very well at competitions. We have a very strong coaching staff and have over the last 18 years. That definitely helps when you have experience leading the team,” she said.
“We’ve been quite successful at competitions, [but] every year is different… you never know what you’re going to get, so you just put out your best routine and you hope for the best.”
For dozens of Kingston Elite athletes, last weekend’s Nationals marked the culmination of months of training and competition, with the cheerleaders demonstrating a great deal of dedication toward their sport. “They work so hard, and a lot of these kids are in the gym more than just [for] their regular practice. They’re going in for extra tumbling classes every chance they can get, so they’re putting in the work. So, to see that hard work paying off is so rewarding,” King expressed.
While many of Kingston Elite’s athletes are seasoned veterans by now, returning to the club year after year, King noted that for some, this season was their very first year in competitive cheerleading, which culminated in an unforgettable experience at the national championship. “We have a few kids on some of those teams where this is their first year doing cheerleading. So, for them to step in their first year and come out as a national champion is pretty cool.”
Kingstonist first caught up with King after the 2022 Cheer for the Cure event back in December, which marked the start of the 2022-2023 season. When asked to reflect on how the athletes have evolved in the months since, the owner and director said, “The teams have grown so much since that first competition… it’s insane to see the difference that only a few months makes. If you go and rewatch the routines from December, and then compare them to the routines they put on the floor in April, it’s like each team is a whole new team.”
While the majority of Kingston Elite teams were in Niagara Falls for the All-Star Nationals, three of the club’s squads were also invited to take part in Canadian Finals, an invitation-only event which took place at the same venue as nationals. At Canadian Finals, Kingston Elite’s Midnight U16 Level 4 team took home a top-five finish.
With Nationals and Canadian Finals in the rearview mirror, the competitive season has now come to an end for most Kingston Elite athletes, with the exception of Team Imperial, who will make the trek to Orlando this weekend to compete at Cheerleading Worlds, running April 21 to 24, 2023.
Before the club officially winds down its operations for the season, Kingston Elite will be holding tryouts for next year, which are currently scheduled for May 8 and 10, 2023. More information can be found on the club’s website.