Labine and her cheerleading squad, the Perfect Storm Athletics Lightning team, will be heading to Orlando, Fla., for the World Cheerleading Championships from April 25 to 27.
The event, held at Walt Disney World Resort, pits cheerleading teams from around the world against one another and is broadcast globally on ESPN.
Labine was a long-time member of Flinty’s Gymnasts, taking part in gymnastics locally for nine years before moving away in her teens.
When her family moved to Alberta there was no gymnastics program in town – but there was a cheerleading team.
“I actually started cheering before I started school when I moved,” she said.
“There was no gymnastics offered, so I tried out for cheer and I fell in love with it.”
Once she began gymnastics, Labine couldn’t get enough. She joined a gymnastics team, the Rochfort Bridge, Alta.-based Sabres Cheer, in 2015, later moving to the Edmonton-based Perfect Storm Athletics last year.
It’s with Perfect Storm where Labine’s abilities have taken off. Labine works as a backspot – “one of the people who throws the girls around,” she said.
“It’s a whole, complete different ballgame from high school cheer.”
Labine’s team qualified for the world championships by earning a berth in a western Canadian regional tournament in Regina.
“I was really excited, really surprised. I was very proud of my team,” she said, adding that spots to enter the championship are far from easy to earn.
“There’s only so many spots that are offered up for different countries. You have to go and compete to get them. Let’s say you’re at a competition and there are eight teams trying to get a bid. There can only be two or three possible bids at that competition. You’ve got to compete against multiple other teams to get that spot,” she explained.
As far as group performance goes, Labine is not going expecting a gold-medal finish. Knowing that the team performed at its best is enough of a reward.
“I’m honestly just hoping we can do our best, put our best routine we have down on the floor and have fun, hang out with the team. It should be a great experience as well,” she said.
In addition to throws, Labine also uses the gymnastics abilities she learned in Flin Flon, using tumbling, dance and individual strength in the team’s routine.
Labine said teamwork and coordination are both crucial.
“You’re working with 18 other girls on your team,” she said.
Several members of Labine’s family, including her grandparents, who still live in Flin Flon, will make the trip down to Florida to see her perform.
“My grandma and grandpa, my mom and her boyfriend are all going,” she said.
Labine plans to continue cheering as long as she can, continuing with her team after this season.
“We do have really good resources and all of our coaches are really great. I don’t know if I’d switch over to a university program, because it’s a completely different thing. It’s not so competitive and the difficulty is a lot lower.”
