PUBLISHED BY PRIDE CHEERLEADING ASSOCIATION |
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Rally! Season 2, Issue 10: January 2023 |
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Sin City Classic 2023 Recap |
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Welcome to the special Sin City Classic 2023 Recap issue of Rally! The Sin City Classic is an annual multi-sport tournament and festival held every MLK weekend in Las Vegas, NV. This year was PCA’s fourth year as an Official Sports Partner. ~125 volunCHEERleaders from 9 different teams across the country supported LGBTQ+ athletics by touring the tournament and cheering players on. Cheerleading was also one of the 24 competitive sports at the tournament. PCA’s unique “Charitable Cheerleading Competition” in the Flamingo Hotel on Sunday, January 15 drew six competitive groups, five exhibition groups, and a surprise celebrity headliner, The 25th Elected Empress Fanny D. Pack, reigning Empress of the Imperial Royal Sovereign Court of the Desert Empire. All of the performances and appearances are motivated by philanthropy. It was abundantly clear that every cheerleader was there to raise spirits, awareness, and funds for charity! In this special issue of Rally!, we will recap the highlights and successes of PCA’s Sin City Classic 2023 events and thank the people and partners who made it all possible. |
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Thursday: Compete Sports Diversity Summit & Awards |
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The day before the cheering officially began, representatives from PCA attended the Compete Sports Diversity Conference for networking, presentations, and group discussions all centered on the challenges facing the LGBTQ+ sports community. After the conference was the Petey Awards ceremony, where numerous athletes and sports representatives were acknowledged for their dedication to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their respective sports. We are beyond proud to share that one of our own, CHEER Seattle’s Beau Bradley (he/they), was this year’s winner of the prestigious Molly Lenore Inspiring Athlete Award! Beau is the Secretary of the Board of CHEER Seattle, has spoken at both PCA Summit 2021 and 2022, spoke at the Compete Sports Summit in Seattle on a panel about Transgender representation in sports, and through that event earned his SDL certificate. Looking back on PCA’s first experiences at the Compete Sports Diversity Conference and Awards back in January 2020 and all the memories made since, we remember every small success - and every significant struggle - that built this community for charitable cheerleaders like Beau. In PCA, Beau found family, found himself, and found a world that was ready to evolve with him. We look forward to more of Beau’s companionship and leadership for cheers to come! |
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Friday: Welcome Night & Registration Party |
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Imagine… the Sunset Ballroom of the Flamingo Hotel, 20,882 sq ft set up expo-style for all participating sports and partner organizations of the Sin City Classic. You look left and right and see 10,000 LGBTQ+ and ally athletes representing 500+ teams and 24 different sports. You look up and you see flying cornhole beanbags, flying steel-tipped darts, and… flying PCA cheerleaders - all flying for charity! A reunion for some, a first time for others, but for all a welcoming and invigorating experience. This was the perfect place for PCA’s in-person bucketing to start. We stunted and cheered, and shook our moneymakers for charitable beneficiary, Golden Rainbow (a local charity providing housing, education, and direct financial assistance to people affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Nevada). Someone even donated a $100 bill! Whether you made it in person or caught PCA’s live broadcast by CHEER Seattle volunCHEERleader Ayla D. (she/her), you’d agree, the bar was set HIGH for an exceptionally cheerful weekend! |
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Saturday: VolunCHEERing at Sports |
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PCA couldn’t have been more excited for an 8 am in-uniform call time on Saturday! VolunCHEERleaders from nine different teams met at the Flamingo to learn a new all-PCA Routine, choreographed by Coach Spencer (he/him) of CHEER Seattle and Sara (she/her), Secretary of the PCA Board, set to music donated by Cheer Mix A Lot created by Mike V. (he/him) of Cheer New York. After announcements, icebreakers, and unique PCA games, the cheerleaders had only 90 minutes to learn every detail of the routine and perfect it for the tour! CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! The All-PCA Routine and another team-by-team skill showcase were set, and we hit the road! Thanks to the on-time, safe, and customized transportation provided by Triple J Tours and Bell Transportation, the 6-hour, 6-sport tour went flawlessly. Our vibrant performances caught the attention of spectators and players and allowed us the platform to show our support for LGBTQ+ athletics and the broader LGBTQ+ community. At each stop, we were able to express how our impact ripples out from touching individual lives to supporting a local beneficiary, and even how we spread our spirit internationally at Gay Games every four years. 2023 is a Gay Games year, and we were lucky to have representatives from the FGG and Gay Games Guadalajara with us on the bus, connecting with our cheerleaders and the crowds! Ayla D. went live for us at every sport to keep our remote family connected to the journey: Dodgeball, Womens+ Softball, Flag Football, Soccer, Kickball, Open Softball. And Dirk (he/him), journalist and sports psychologist from Compete Sports Diversity Network, captured and analyzed our every move! |
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Sunday: The Charitable Cheerleading Competition |
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Competitive team sports in the LGBTQ+ community are not just about scores, rankings, and medals. As the Cheerleaders witnessed touring the Sin City Classic on Saturday, participation in LGBTQ+ sports provides a foundation of belonging upon which individuals form their own unique narratives and unique personal identities. The sport of competitive cheerleading can be cutthroat in the mainstream, but PCA's Charitable Cheerleading competition is one-of-a-kind. Show programming began with a heartfelt Land Acknowledgement by Spring Waters (she/her) and Taya Maloney (she/her) of Cheer Salt Lake. And from that start, the audience felt the PCA values of inclusion, integrity, and love. Local community pillar and reigning Empress of the Imperial Royal Sovereign Court of the Desert Empire, Fanny D. Pack, opened and closed the show, donating her time, talent, and all her tips to us! Even the mats that we all performed on - a generous donation from local cheer team, 3x UCA D1A National Champions, The UNLV Rebels - represent a community connection. As the show went on, alternating between non-judged Team Exhibition performance and competitive Partner Stunt or Group Stunt routine, it was clear that what PCA offers to the world is diverse yet cohesive, and that this is truly a collaborative family. Even in competition, the rules, judging, and scoring emphasize community impact and FUNDRAISING FIRST! Before the competition, each competitive group takes a Spirit Bucket out to the Las Vegas Strip to collect charitable donations. The amount a group collects in that one hour of “competitive bucketing” is written right at the top of the scoresheet and gives the same potential weight to the score as does technique or difficulty of skills. The results are in, congratulations to: Thanks to Jessica H (she/her) of CHEER Tacoma for capturing each routine, competition and exhibition, (full playlist on @PrideCheerleadingAssociation’s YouTube channel). We always think of our PCA family and fans who couldn't make it to the event, and we are so appreciative of everyone who tuned in to watch Ayla D.’s live feed of the entire competition or just the last ALL-PCA performance of the day. We’ll be sharing galleries of photos soon, taken by long-time friend of the PCA family, Tenzin Armenta (he/they), @PhotosByTenzin. After the show ended and the blue mats were rolled away, PCA invited participants, judges, and spectators to a “Happy Hour Golden Shower,” one last toast to Golden Rainbow. No better way to end the weekend than unity in community and a glass of rosé. |
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