The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack cheer squad will be competing in their second event of the season this weekend.   The cheer squad is off to Canada Place in Vancouver to compete in the Sea to Sky International Cheerleading Competition. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Cheer squad performing in Edmonton earlier this year (photo submitted by Shannon Blakely)[/caption] This follows a performance a few weeks ago in Edmonton. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="333"] WolfPack co head coach Shannon Blakely (Andrew Snucins photo)[/caption] “We compete twice this time around,” says WolfPack co head coach Shannon Blakely.  “ Each run is worth 50 per cent of our final score. We compete at 6:32 pm on Saturday and 5 pm on Sunday with awards taking place that night.  We have also entered the Senior Individual division with Tatianna Landry representing TRU featuring  tumbling, jumps, dance and a chant. She will compete on Friday night.” [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="333"] Tatianna Landry (Andrew Snucins photo)[/caption] The cheer squad has been practicing hard in preparation for this event.  “ They have been going really well lately,” she says.  “We’ve been cleaning up our weaker areas and adding more difficulty to the stronger areas of the routine. We have re done the entire opening section, changed part of our jumps and added more difficult tumbling to gain a higher score and changed parts of our pyramid section. After scoring an 84 per cent at the Total Spirit Championships (in Edmonton), we are setting that as our team goal to surpass that at Sea to Sky. Every coach and athlete also set an individual, group or team goals to improve or aim for at this competition as well.” [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Cheer squad member sails through air at Total Spirit event (photo submitted by Shannon Blakely)[/caption] Blakely says the Vancouver competition will be very different from the one in the Alberta capital. “ Total Spirit was great being at the Ice Palace in West Edmonton Mall. It was essentially a 360 degree venue with the two levels of the mall looking down onto the mat which was at floor level. At Sea to Sky, we will compete on a raised stage with theatre style lighting in front of a crowd of as many as nine thousand. We are competing against two other teams at this event in the Open Level 4 division that are from different gyms that we faced in Edmonton.  One, we faced in competition last year  is the Vancouver All Stars Chill and one that is new to us, Panther Cheer.  We did well at last year’s competition finishing second in our first time out representing TRU as a competitive cheer squad.  We are looking forward to  being able to show case how we have improved over last year’s performance and talk to students who may be attending TRU with an interest our team for next year.” [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="333"] WolfPack co head coach Taryn Polson (Andrew Snucins photo)[/caption] This event could be the last one for Blakely and her co coach  Taryn Polson as both graduate this year.  “This could be the last time we are together,” Polson says. “ We started out as base partners as athletes and worked our way up to assistant coaches and finally head coaches.  It’s been a long way to come but we are very proud of what we have been able to do in the past years, especially getting the team to competition for the first time in 2012. We’ve put our hearts, blood, sweat and tears and a whole lot of our time into this team both as athletes and coaches and it is finally paying off.” [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="333"] WolfPack assistant coach Kelsey Boule (Andrew Snucins photo)[/caption] As it stands now, Blakely will return next season as head coach of the WolfPack Cheer squad with Kelsey Boule returning for her second year as an assistant.  “ Taryn has yet to make a final decision on whetehr or not she will be returning,” Blakely states.  [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="333"] Cheer squad athlete about to get caught (photo submitted by Shannon Blakely).[/caption] There is a chance that this might not be the final competition of 2012-13 for TRU. “ We have recently been approached about entering the Okanagan Cheerleading Championships being held May 4^th in Kelowna,” Polson explains. “ While the entire team will not be attending this event, we are looking at the possibility of sending both a Group Stunt entry and a Senior individual entry to represent TRU.”