The Richmond Raiders cheerleaders swept through the recent Vancouver Mainland Football Leagues Cheer Fest with no less than nine awards.
The 31-strong team – made up of members aged five to 17 – won six first-place awards at the event.
In the atom division, they finished first in the five-person stunt, first and second in the pairs and second in the full squad routine.
In the peewee division, the team finished first in the five-person, first and second in the pairs, and first in the full squad routine.
And in the junior bantam division, they finished first in the pairs.
The team has been inspiring the Raiders on the football field all season at their home games at Minoru.
“It was contagious. It fueled everyone’s energy and spirit. The real reward was seeing the teamwork, happiness and camaraderie all around,” said Ruvie Pangilinan, a cheerleader parent.
The Raiders cheer team also won the coveted Spirit Award from the annual event in addition to their squad performances.
This year has seen tremendous growth within the Raiders’ cheerleading squads.
“With overwhelming support from our members, we officially added cheerleading into our constitution at the Annual General Meeting,” said Raiders president Aarron Thompson.
“The commitment from our youth and the support of our volunteers has made our cheerleading program a growing success every year and we can’t wait to see what 2023 brings us.”
Richmond Raiders cheerleader squads performing at CheerFest 2022 included:
Atom Division: Aliya Smartt, Autumn John, Kyah Cook, Mackenzie Belleza, Malia Barry, Merah Harber, Mia Espinosa, Natalie Del Rosario Torres, Sia Sandhu, Sophia Davtyan, Vivian Delgado,
Peewee Division: Abryanna Awasis, Alexa Delgado, Audrey John, Caitlin Bruce, Carly Bruyere, Kaelynn Davies, Katrin Wong, Kleio Simmons, Nevaeh Lackner, Serena Barry,
Junior Bantam Division: Breanah Legge, Eva Rizari, Kalliegh Williams, Lukaas Thompson, Reniaa Thompson, Tiffany Xie and Arissa Malig.
