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Highlands Today

Cheering On The EDGE

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: August 3, 2008

SEBRING - There's one surefire way to take the enthusiasm right out of a group of cheerleaders: Call their sport "easy."

Just ask the folks at EDGE Cheer Center in downtown Sebring.

"I think that's the biggest misconception about cheerleading, is that it's easy," said EDGE student/instructor Dallas Carlisle. "We put in months of preparation for just a 2 1/2-minute routine and still I think people think that it is just girls with pom-poms.

"We have to make it look good and make everything look easy."

Carlisle is just one of about 200 athletes ranging in age from three- to 18-years-old that share a passion for the sport of cheerleading.

Since 2004, EDGE has become the local haven for guys and girls to get a real taste of the sport of cheerleading, which has grown in popularity over the last decade due to ESPN's presentation of the sport to a global audience.

"It's amazing to have watched cheerleading blossom as a sport and help bring the sport to the girls and guys in Highlands County," said EDGE owner Jenny Rowe. "The success we've had has far exceeded anything I could've imagined.

"I'm proud of all my kids that have walked through these doors."

Rowe remembers when she first opened and had nothing on the floor but a couple of mats. But a couple of students and some good word of mouth have made EDGE a premier cheerleading education center in the Heartland.

"It was just after the hurricanes in 2004 that we opened," Rowe reflects. "We were all so excited to get started. I had no idea that it would take off the way it did."

Walking into the center, anyone would be amazed at all the awards and accolades that have been bestowed on the cheerleading teams at countless competitions, but the first thing that catches most people is the family atmosphere that Rowe and her instructors have created.

It's an aspect of the center that drew Carlisle from the moment she came for a visit.

"I immediately felt at ease at the center and it is the one place that no matter how bad a day I've had, I can leave my cares at the door," Carlisle said. "Plus, the center brings out my natural competitive spirit."

EDGE instructor Maurice Williams is in charge of the elite competition squads and can be seen critiquing every arm position and body movement in the hopes that the blend of all the aspects of a routine melts into a cohesive and beautiful piece of visual music.

"I'm very emotionally driven, and I strive for these kids to excel," Williams said. "There is no greater compliment for a coach than to see the kids nail a routine and know in themselves that the long road to get there has been worth it."

EDGE has four competition teams of different age and skill levels that compete in tournaments all across the state and have been recognized by their success at these tournaments as one of the best centers in Florida.

The senior open level 3 team, for example, has placed first in four competitions during the 2007-08 season, including the UCA Regionals and the Spirit Cheer Open National Championships.

But it all starts at EDGE.

"Everyone has a different drive," Carlisle said. "You can really tell how much someone wants to be here by how much they put into it.

"The competitions are what drive me to see how we measure up against the top teams in the state and the country. I'm always trying to get better."

Cheerleading is a sport that blends elements of tumbling, dance, jumps and acrobatics into a choreographed routine that is judged in a number of areas, including stunt variety, dance, pyramids and presentation.

Learning the art of cheerleading starts mastering the basic skills of tumbling, body control, strength and hand stands.

And like gymnastics, the key that unlocks a whole new world for the cheerleader is the back handspring.

Once mastered, the athlete is then ready to move on to some of the elite skills that include stunts or what is referred to as building pyramids.

And the sport isn't just for the girls: Boys are welcome and encouraged, as the sport is as challenging for them as for their female counterparts.

Williams, who graduated from Sebring High in 2003, began cheerleading while and eighth grader at Hill-Gustat Middle School and made the Blue Streak varsity cheer squad. He says that more and more boys are looking to the sport as not only great exercise, but as a road to a college education.

"There are so many opportunities for boys to get a college scholarship through cheerleading," Williams said. "And it's not as competitive for males when trying to earn a scholarship."

Rowe has a more practical reason for males to take up cheerleading.

"Where else can you come and hang out with beautiful girls all day long," Rowe laughed.

For more information on classes, contact Rowe at 863-471-0085 or visit www.edgecheercenter.com.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5827 or at choffman@highlandstoday.com.

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