LIHUE — Kauai Youth Football hosted a cheer camp Saturday at the Kauai High School gym.
About 90 young cheerleaders registered with KYF participated in last weekend’s camp.
“Kauai Youth Football started back in 2009, and it’s main focal point was just football because it allowed those who were overweight to participate in a sport they were interested in,” said Brandi Hiranaka Ventar, KYF cheer coordinator. “Just starting last year, I started up cheer because there were girls interested. They’re brothers played, so they wanted to cheer. So, that started up. It took a little bit. When the season started to end last year, I thought that the girls deserved something to learn more. So, what better way to learn than from our high school girls?”
Cheer teams from KYF’s Lihue Red Raiders, Kapaa Jr. Warriors and Hanapepe Cowboys took part in the camp. Participants’ ages ranged from 4 to 14.
Volunteers from Kauai and Kapaa high schools’ cheer teams and from Kauai Gymnastics Academy led the camp.
“Another aspect of cheerleading is tumbling. My really good friend, Tyra Lum, participates in Kauai Gymnastics. She runs classes there. Her and her colleague, Caleb Morrison, ended up volunteering their time to help the girls,” Ventar said. “Just learned basics, from cartwheels to tumbling to a lot more advanced techniques.”
She added: “It was pretty good turnout for the first cheer camp hosted. The girls loved it. They had such a great time. It’s only better for me to better every season for them.”
Ventar said she plans to hold cheer camps prior to every KYF spring and fall season. KYF’s spring season starts Saturday.
“Just giving the girls the opportunity to bloom into potential cheerleaders for the high schools — pretty much grooming them for high school,” Ventar said.
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Nick Celario, sports writer, can be reached at 245-0437 or ncelario@thegardenisland.com.
