CORNWALL, Ontario – Returning for its third year in a row, the Ontario Cheerleading Federation’s Winter Blast competition returned to Cornwall’s civic complex on Saturday, February 8, 2020. Each year, the event attracts hundreds of young athletes and their families to Cornwall for an exciting day of cheerleading competitions and fun.
“It’s really exciting because they start off with the top teams in the morning, and then they go through by number and level and by noon they have the little ones,” said Janice Robinson, the facilities coordinator for the city of Cornwall. “At the end is the highlight, because one of the groups will get a vie to head to Worlds at Disneyland in the States, so this is a big event for them.”
For the first year in the event’s history, a new category was added to the roster, allowing everyone who wants to cheer the chance at an international stage.
“We have a new category called Special Disabilities, where they have very young ladies who are joining in on the action and training with all the other girls and they are getting really good exposure,” said Robinson.
The event brings in hundreds of families to Cornwall for the weekend, who now make it a tradition to stop in at local businesses during their stay.
“What’s really exciting is they’re from all across Ontario, no matter what the weather, they always show up and their families come to support them,” said Robinson. “I think if you’ve never seen it before, just the music, enthusiasm, and the talent is actually here in Cornwall and it’s pretty amazing.”
