Purple, black and silver will deliver
Award-winning DC Dolphins first-time cheerleaders with head coach Stephanie Collins and assistant coach Jen Walters
by Tracy Dudley
Among a wide variety of other sports, the Douglas County Dolphins youth athletic club offers competitive cheerleading. However, Castle Pines North resident Stephanie Collins felt there should be a more recreational option for those who wanted to focus more on having fun and enjoying cheer.
“I have felt like that is what the sport is missing. It has become so competitive, very expensive, and very time consuming,” said Collins. “We wanted to be able to compete AND make it fun!”
A former award-winning NCAA cheerleader herself, Collins gathered up an energetic group of girls between the ages of 7 and 12 years, created the first DC Dolphins novice-level squad of cheerleaders, and took them to their first-ever competitions.
“Most of these girls had never cheered before and have done an amazing job. They work very hard to be a great representative of Douglas County.”
In February, the squad placed first in the Novice Rec Division of America’s Best Cheerleading Championship at the Denver Coliseum. In March, the girls placed sixth in the Youth I Division of the CheerSport Grand Championships at the Denver Convention Center.
“None of these girls have ever competed. They started with little foundation at the beginning of the season and really exceeded my expectations as their coach!” said Collins. “I watched them go from being a little unsure of their abilities to seeing their proud faces after they finished their first competition!”
From the beginning, the group adopted the motto “work hard, be proud.” However, Collins has been very successful in conquering the challenge of making sure it is still fun for everyone.
“I’ve cheered in bowl games and earned championship titles myself. I would never have thought that watching my daughter and the girls in my new “cheer family” perform so well would beat that feeling by a mile! We worked hard and I am very proud!”
Anyone interested in this program should visit the DC Dolphin website at www.dc-dolphins.org, which is updated regularly with current information. The program provides high quality cheer instruction at a very reasonable price without the high commitment associated with gyms around town. The group regularly cheers for Dolphin football games and marches in the Douglas County fair parade.
