Kingston Elite Team Imperial takes home third place at Cheerleading Worlds
Members of Kingston Elite (KE) All Star Cheerleading had plenty to cheer about on Monday evening, Apr. 24, 2023, as the club’s KE Imperial team took home a bronze medal at the Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando, Florida. Competing in the International U18 Small Coed 5 division, Imperial finished in third place out of six teams, with a score of 135.9 in the finals, for the club’s first-ever podium result at Worlds.
With 150 total points on the board in Monday’s final round, Imperial scored 90.60 per cent of perfection with zero deductions to claim the bronze medal.
The point spread between the top three teams was razor-thin, with just 1.5 points separating first from third. The Kingston squad was part of an all-Canadian podium at Worlds, with Perfect Storm Athletics Edmonton’s Lightning team coming home in second place with a score of 136.5 points. Montreal’s Flyers All-Starz Phoenix claiming the gold medal with a 137.4 score.
Heading into Monday’s competition, Imperial sat in fourth place after the semi-finals, which took place on Saturday, Apr. 22, 2023. In the semis, the team placed fourth in their division with a routine that scored 119.15 points. The squad spent the rest of the weekend preparing for Monday’s final round, with a chance at a World Championship medal on the line.
In recognition of their third-place finish, members of KE Imperial all received individual medals, and the team took home one of the event’s familiar bronze globe trophies. For Imperial’s Megan Hogan, the experience at Worlds was a dream come true.
“Being able to compete at Worlds was the most amazing experience because I’ve been dreaming of going to this competition for 13 years. I got to experience this opportunity with my best friends and my family,” Hogan expressed.
“I’m very proud to be a part of the first-ever team to come home with a bronze globe and medal in [Kingston Elite] history. Taking home the bronze globe made my dreams come true… It was truly the best thing I’ve experienced in my years of cheerleading.”
A third-place finish at Worlds capped off a highly successful 2022-23 season for Team Imperial. Earlier this month, the squad won the national championship for U18 Level 5 at the 2023 Canadian All-Star Nationals in Niagara Falls. Last December, Imperial took home a silver medal at the 2022 Cheer for the Cure event in Oshawa, the first competition of the season.
Getting to Worlds and winning a medal is no easy task; the invitational competition — held annually at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports — awards qualifying bids through a series of regional and national competitions. The 2023 edition saw over 100 teams competing across 34 divisions. While the competition mostly featured clubs from the United States and Canada, a number of international teams also took part, with countries like England, Australia, and Switzerland all represented.
Team Imperial booked its ticket to Worlds at the 2023 Ontario Cheerleading Federation (OCF) provincial championship this past February in Brampton, where the squad secured an at-large bid for for the championship.
With Cheerleading Worlds now in the rearview mirror, the 2022-23 competitive season has officially come to a close for Kingston Elite All Star Cheerleading. Before winding down operations for the summer, the club will hold their annual tryouts on May 8 and 10, 2023. More information can be found on their website.
