A local gym of about 110 athletes has been compiling a record of accomplishments worth cheering about.
Earlier this year, Blue Water Cheer Athletics went to Disney World and returned with a silver medal from the Junior World Cheerleading Championships.
The gym assembled a team of 16 local athletes and eight from London's Power Cheer Gym for the April competition.
Blue Water co-owner and coach Jodie Bore said it was an incredible accomplishment.
"They were thrilled. For the first time ever to be able to go out there and represent their country, the whole experience was phenomenal. And to get a silver medal was great, but don't get me wrong we want gold next year," said Bore. "You have to face it, you never go into a competition not hoping to win, but they were honoured to win silver. They hit a clean routine-- no mistakes and they left it all out on the floor. So we're definitely proud of this group."
Bore said they came up just short to a very impressive team from Thailand.
She said the second place finish adds to the gym's long list of accomplishments.
"We've had teams that win Nationals at the Canadians, we've gone to Summit which is similar to World's. So yeah, we hope that success continues in Sarnia," said Bore. "We're a small gym in the cheerleading community of the competitions we go to, so for us to be able to put our name on the map, and for these kids to be able to do what they did was just great."
Fellow Blue Water co-owner and coach Sarah Faubert is encouraging girls and boys in Sarnia-Lambton to give cheerleading a try.
"It teaches you a lot about work ethic and skills that you'll take with you throughout your whole life. Things like punctuality, attendance, time management-- these kids can't really miss practice and our kids are almost more mature than the average kid because they have more obligations," said Faubert. "And for boys, it's not as dancy and frilly as what they think. It's actually takes a lot of strength and athleticism to be a male cheerleader."
Blue Water Cheer Athletics opened its doors at Confederation Street and Roper Street in 2013.
For more information email bluewatercheerathletics@outlook.com, call 519-312-6381, or click here.