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Lisa Welsh
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By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
I have always felt fortunate to be a member of the greater cheer community but having gyms like Bay State All Stars lead the love in this way makes my heart swell. If your gym holds a Colors of Hope luminary drive, please share your story with us. If your gym hasn’t held a Colors of Hope yet, it’s easy to do…all the information is here:
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/LuminaryDrive2012
SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts – At 8pm, last night, members of the Bay State All Stars will line the entrance to Hillside Estates with specially-created luminaries in honor of Angel Pina, a 12 year old cheerleader who recently died in a car crash in Avon. Children ages 3-18 will join their parents and coaches in a candlelight vigil. Coach Sarah “Pokey” Opoka will deliver an address honoring Angel and reminding attendees to celebrate her life through a legacy of kindness.
On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, Bay State All Stars held an in-house fundraiser for Colors of Hope, an organization started by Kristina Parrish, Lisa Welsh, and Nikki Delude to support cheer families facing medical hardship. A pancreatic cancer survivor, Kristina understands the burden of keeping kids involved in activities they love when medical bills pile up. But she also knows that when a child’s family life is threatened by disease and her world is scary and falling apart, the cheer gym may be her only stable, safe haven, and keeping a child connected to her coaches and teammates can be as healing as any therapy.
All-star cheerleading is the fastest growing competitive sport in America, and competing at an all-star level requires significant commitment, practice, time-management, and sacrifice. All star athletes do not cheer for any other sport; they compete in a 2.5 minute routine comprised of high level tumbling, stunting, jumping, dancing and acrobatic skills that is a sport of its own. All-star athletes typically spend a minimum of 6-9 hours a week practicing with their coaches and teammates.
The Bay State All Star program has been in existence since 2006, starting with a small team of only a few athletes. The program now consists of over 100 athletes, competing on multiple teams, at local, regional, and national competitions and winning championships at all levels. Over the years, owner and Head Coach, Matthew Holdridge, has held as his mission, a dedication to “helping children grow into strong, positive, healthy, and caring people.” His program is based on a set of five core values: personal and social responsibility, kindness, community, good sportsmanship, and integrity. This year, the gym is making a special effort to help children become active in community service.
The fundraiser for Colors of Hope was started in direct response to the recent death of Angel Pina, a fellow cheerleader from Cheer Nation in Stoughton, and also to the tragic destruction of the Cheer Fusion gym in Virginia during a recent tornado, an event that left several parents in the ICU. The athletes at Bay State wanted to “do something to help the family” but didn’t know what to do. A parent at Bay State All Stars was aware of Colors for Hope and contacted the agency to ask if a special Angel luminary might be created in Angel Pina’s honor. The luminary went on sale this past week, and 100% proceeds generated from the sale of the golden Angel Luminaries will be donated to help families of cheerleaders who are “fallen before their time.” The actual Angel luminaries will become part of a traveling display and will be a permanent legacy to Angel Pina.
Although the Bay State All Stars might have been content simply selling luminaries to raise funds, Coach Holdridge wanted to be sure the children at the gym saw this as more than an opportunity for parents to “buy something or donate more money.” The candlelight vigil to be held on Monday night, will be a quiet event, with replicas of the actual luminaries handmade by members of the gym, and it’s purpose is to have the children connect with the importance of what the fundraiser is about. Coaches Holdridge and Opoka want their athletes to see how, in tragedy, we realize how artificial the divides of team affiliations and colors really are: “Behind the multicolored uniforms, we are all the same: athletes who share the love of the sport of all star cheerleading. And because of this commonness, it is important to always reach out to your fellow athlete and lend a hand, and above all, to always be kind”.
It’s not easy to teach a child character. But Coach Holdridge sure wants to try.
Colors of Hope to light up the night in Shrewsbury
Reprinted with no copyright intent
By Lisa D. Welsh
www.CHEERMaD.com
I have always felt fortunate to be a member of the greater cheer community but having gyms like Bay State All Stars lead the love in this way makes my heart swell. If your gym holds a Colors of Hope luminary drive, please share your story with us. If your gym hasn’t held a Colors of Hope yet, it’s easy to do…all the information is here:
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/LuminaryDrive2012
SHREWSBURY, Massachusetts – At 8pm, last night, members of the Bay State All Stars will line the entrance to Hillside Estates with specially-created luminaries in honor of Angel Pina, a 12 year old cheerleader who recently died in a car crash in Avon. Children ages 3-18 will join their parents and coaches in a candlelight vigil. Coach Sarah “Pokey” Opoka will deliver an address honoring Angel and reminding attendees to celebrate her life through a legacy of kindness.
On Wednesday and Thursday of last week, Bay State All Stars held an in-house fundraiser for Colors of Hope, an organization started by Kristina Parrish, Lisa Welsh, and Nikki Delude to support cheer families facing medical hardship. A pancreatic cancer survivor, Kristina understands the burden of keeping kids involved in activities they love when medical bills pile up. But she also knows that when a child’s family life is threatened by disease and her world is scary and falling apart, the cheer gym may be her only stable, safe haven, and keeping a child connected to her coaches and teammates can be as healing as any therapy.All-star cheerleading is the fastest growing competitive sport in America, and competing at an all-star level requires significant commitment, practice, time-management, and sacrifice. All star athletes do not cheer for any other sport; they compete in a 2.5 minute routine comprised of high level tumbling, stunting, jumping, dancing and acrobatic skills that is a sport of its own. All-star athletes typically spend a minimum of 6-9 hours a week practicing with their coaches and teammates.
The Bay State All Star program has been in existence since 2006, starting with a small team of only a few athletes. The program now consists of over 100 athletes, competing on multiple teams, at local, regional, and national competitions and winning championships at all levels. Over the years, owner and Head Coach, Matthew Holdridge, has held as his mission, a dedication to “helping children grow into strong, positive, healthy, and caring people.” His program is based on a set of five core values: personal and social responsibility, kindness, community, good sportsmanship, and integrity. This year, the gym is making a special effort to help children become active in community service.
The fundraiser for Colors of Hope was started in direct response to the recent death of Angel Pina, a fellow cheerleader from Cheer Nation in Stoughton, and also to the tragic destruction of the Cheer Fusion gym in Virginia during a recent tornado, an event that left several parents in the ICU. The athletes at Bay State wanted to “do something to help the family” but didn’t know what to do. A parent at Bay State All Stars was aware of Colors for Hope and contacted the agency to ask if a special Angel luminary might be created in Angel Pina’s honor. The luminary went on sale this past week, and 100% proceeds generated from the sale of the golden Angel Luminaries will be donated to help families of cheerleaders who are “fallen before their time.” The actual Angel luminaries will become part of a traveling display and will be a permanent legacy to Angel Pina.
Although the Bay State All Stars might have been content simply selling luminaries to raise funds, Coach Holdridge wanted to be sure the children at the gym saw this as more than an opportunity for parents to “buy something or donate more money.” The candlelight vigil to be held on Monday night, will be a quiet event, with replicas of the actual luminaries handmade by members of the gym, and it’s purpose is to have the children connect with the importance of what the fundraiser is about. Coaches Holdridge and Opoka want their athletes to see how, in tragedy, we realize how artificial the divides of team affiliations and colors really are: “Behind the multicolored uniforms, we are all the same: athletes who share the love of the sport of all star cheerleading. And because of this commonness, it is important to always reach out to your fellow athlete and lend a hand, and above all, to always be kind”.It’s not easy to teach a child character. But Coach Holdridge sure wants to try.
Colors of Hope to light up the night in Shrewsbury
Reprinted with no copyright intent
