Local cheer teams take stage in East Coast competition

PHOTO COURTESY NOR'EASTERN STORM The Nor'Eastern Storm "Thunder" perform at a Reach the Beach competition. Thunder, a youth cheer squad, and three fellow Salisbury teams will compete this weekend in the Reach the Beach All Star & College Internationals. (April 3, 2009) Four local Nor'Eastern Storm cheer squads will join hundreds of other East Coast teams for the Reach the Beach All Star & College Internationals this weekend at the Ocean City convention center.

The competitive cheer groups train in Nor'Eastern Storm Director Pam Duke's gym, which she opened three years ago at Crown Sports Center near Salisbury. They include the "Sprinkles" (tiny team, ages 5 and younger), "Thunder" (youth team, ages 11 and younger), "Lightening" (junior team, ages 14 and younger) and "Twisters" (senior team, ages 18 and younger).

Most of the girls on the Nor'Eastern Storm cheer squads have participated in Reach the Beach before and Duke said they are looking forward to the competition. The youth Thunder is a two-time champion at Reach the Beach, Duke said.

Each team will get one chance Saturday and Sunday to impress the judges with their routines.

"They love Reach the Beach," she said. "It's a really great national event. It's the only one in our area. It's well organized and well run."

Brittany Hoole, co-coach of the juniors, said her squad is excited to show off the skills they have worked so hard to master. The level 2 team (based on stunts and routine difficulty) consists of girls with a variety of cheer experience. They, like the other three Nor'Eastern Storm crews, will perform the routines they have done all season.

"There's an excitement in the air with the stage, the lights and the whole atmosphere," Hoole said. "Teams come from all over, which makes it even more exciting."

Reach the Beach, hosted by American Cheer & Dance Academy, began as a oneday competition 12 years ago, but quickly grew into a weekend event. It eventually became so large that the event had to be broken into two weekends. The Reach the Beach competitions in February and April are two of the largest cheerleading events on the East Coast. Annually, teams from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., travel to the resort to compete for cash prizes, medals, trophies and national championship jackets and banners.

For most teams, Reach the Beach is the biggest competition of the year. It is a qualifier for the U.S. Finals championship, which will take place in Las Vegas and Oklahoma City (April 17-18), Cincinnati, Ohio (April 24-25) and Virginia Beach (May 1-3). It was established to recognize squads of all ability levels that have excelled in cheerleading and dance. Each of the Nor'Eastern Storm squads have already qualified for the U.S. Finals.

Admission to this weekend's event: Friday, $6 for adults, $3 for children (12 and younger) and seniors (65+); Saturday and Sunday, $18 for adults, $12 for children and seniors. Children 4 and younger are admitted free. For more information, visit www.acadspirit.com.