ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WBAY) – A local special needs cheer squad is getting another chance to show their talents to the world in an upcoming competition April 23 – April 25.
In Ashwaubenon, the Fusion Athletics All-Star All-Abilities special needs cheerleading squad, Legacy, is the only competitive cheer abilities team in Wisconsin. Not to mention, champions of their competitive division in 2021 which earned them a trip to Orlando, FL.
“It was fun because I forgot what it was like to be on an airplane,” Zoe Shephard, a Legacy cheerleader, remembered alongside her teammate Will Hundsrucker. “The funny thing was my friend Tara, she was squeezing my hand so hard that after we got off I’m like ‘do I even still have my hand?’”
The Fusion Athletics All-Star special-needs cheerleading team won a first place trophy at last year’s Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando. They’re going back this year and coaches say it’s going to be even more memorable considering there were COVID-19 restrictions and smaller gatherings last year.
“It is literally the highlight of my whole career,” owner of Fusion Athletics, Melissa Brauer, shared. “Last year when I got to watch them, I looked like a lunatic just crying the whole entire time that I missed my cue to unplug the iPad and stop the music because I was standing there crying. It is so much pride and joy to watch them find a place that they fit in. A home where they have friends and that they are just regular kids and they get to showcase their talents.”
The team of 12 includes cheerleaders with a range of abilities.
“We have a little bit of everything, from kids on the autism spectrum to down syndrome to different birth defects,” Brauer explained. “We have an athlete that is hearing impaired, just a little bit of everything.”
While each brings something unique to the team, when they hit the floor and perform, coaches say they become a synchronized unit.
When asked what’s fun about the cheer team, Alivia LaLuzerne, one of the team members said, “I like having friends.” A fitting answer as she stood beside fellow cheerleaders Emersyn Johnson and Dixie Hoover.
“We’ve also made a really big effort to involve the kids who we have who have wheelchairs,” head coach of Legacy, Jen McCargar, said. “To make sure that they’re involved just as much as anybody else. So, we have a really unique way of stunting. That really involves them so everyone partakes in it.”
To learn more about the team and potentially sign up a child ages 5 – 21 since registration is open, click here.
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