Okanagan Firestorm cheerleaders win Champions Challenge title

A group of Okangan athletes are celebrating a big win.

“I’m speechless,” said proud dad Mike Fraser.

The Okanagan Firestorm Cheerleading travel group ‘Intensity’ were crowned Champions Challenge winners in their division.

The 24-girl troupe, ages 11 to 16, won first place in Las Vegas at one of eight U.S. regional finals in May. The team also placed second at the international championships in Orlando, Fla., in April.

The win in Las Vegas qualified the team for the Champions Challenge round.

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A video of their performance was rejudged by a panel, which also viewed and rejudged the seven other qualifiers.

The winners of the Champions Challenge were announced during a live, online broadcast on Wednesday night.

“I’m overwhelmed, excited,” Okanagan Firestorm Cheerleading co-owner and co-coach Nicole Parrotta said. “This is something that at the beginning of this year we never, ever expected to be in and to see the teams name up there is pretty incredible.”

The title is a first for a team from Canada, according to Parrotta.

“It’s an incredible finish to an incredible season.”

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Okanagan Firestorm Cheerleading is wrapping up its seventh season.

All-star cheerleading is a combination of dance, tumbling, stunting and teamwork.