Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Summer McParland has plenty of spirit, and now she wants to share it with the youths of Steamboat Springs.

McParland, who moved to Steamboat Springs from Flor­ida in the summer, has started Rocky Mountain Cheer, a recreational cheerleading group for girls and boys ages 5 to 15 who have an interest in cheerleading.

Although McParland is new to Steamboat Springs as a full-time resident, she in no stranger to the community. She said her husband has been doing business here for the past seven years and that Steamboat has been a regular vacation stop for the family during that time.

“Someday, I would love to build this into a competitive program, but right now, I’m happy to offer a recreational program in Steamboat Springs,” McParland said. “There’s never been an introductory program. This is an after-school program that offers an active, physical program.”

McParland started the program earlier this year and recently moved it to Colorado Mountain College. It is broken into two age divisions, and each group meets twice a week. Practice consists of stretching, tumbling, stunting, dancing, conditioning and cheering. The groups also have performed several times this fall including an event in early December at Doak Walker Care Center in Steamboat Springs.

The younger group, for children ages 5 to 9, meets Monday and Friday evenings for an hour and a half. The older group, for children ages 9 to 15, meets for two hours Tuesdays and Fridays. The cost is $25 for a yearly registration fee, and there is a monthly fee of $65 for the younger group and $75 for the older group.

The fall season came to a close Dec. 18, but McParland said a new session is scheduled to begin Jan. 4. At that time, the young cheerleaders will begin working on new routines, and they already have planned events for the Olympic send-off and Winter Carnival in February. McParland said finding places and events where the group can perform in public is important for the group and makes the young cheerleaders feel like a part of the community.

“We’ve gotten a ton of support from the community, which has been really great,” McPar­land said.

McParland said the main goal of the group is to provide a fun, active environment for the members of the club to learn the basics of cheerleading.

“It’s all about having fun,” McParland said. “That’s one of our biggest goals with this group.”