Standing on a thick blue mat, arms around her teammates before a crowd of hundreds of people, terrorism was the farthest thing from Veronica Wright’s mind Saturday afternoon.
As one of the Michael Strembitsky School Sharks, Wright joined around 2700 other cheerleaders at the Alberta Competition in West Edmonton Mall Saturday — just three weeks after a terror group threatened the mall with attack.
“That doesn’t stop us from doing what we love,” she said.
“Our team is pretty focused, sure there is a bit of nerve, but it was a blast.”
The Sharks were fortunate to get their chance on the mat. On Feb. 22, West Edmonton Mall was named as a potential target in an online video released by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked terror group based in Somali.
In the video, a masked man encourages attacks against the mall, as well as Jewish-owned shopping centres in the United States and Europe.
Veronica Wright, left, and her teammate Eliana Bussey, right, say neither of them had many concerns about coming to the mall after the threat. (CBC)
Although the RCMP and city police have said there is “no imminent threat” in the wake of the video, security concerns caused 35 teams to pull out of the competition. The superintendent of the Lethbridge Public School Board told CBC News that their team pulled out of the competition because the board’s insurance company recommended a travel ban on West Edmonton Mall.
In the end, around 150 teams arrived at West Edmonton Mall on Friday, the first day of the event.
The coach of the Sharks, Julie Arsenault, said the team did initially have its own worries about attending, with some parents expressing concerns. But in the end, they decided to take part.
“We made sure that everyone understood what the risks potentially were,” she said.
“But really, in essence, there are risks in what we do everyday. I certainly knowingly wouldn’t put them in harm’s way.”
Missing the event would have meant more than losing out at one competition; this weekend’s event is a qualifier for the Cheerleading Championship taking place in Florida next month.
This competition, one of the largest of its kind in western Canada, draws not only athletes but parents and spectators from around the world.
Arsenault said there was a noticeable increase in security compared to previous years, with staff patrolling the area and keeping an eye out for unintended bags near where the cheerleaders did their routines.
Coach Julie Arsenault said she talked with her cheerleaders about the threats before the team decided to attend. (CBC)
Jim Greenough, one of the organizers of the competition, said it was “unfortunate” that teams felt they had to pull out, but that he respects their decision. He added that before they went ahead with the event, they briefly considered moving to a different location. In the end, however, they felt the annual event went hand-in-hand with the mall.
“The RCMP, the city police and the mall administration — we sought their advice, we listened to what they had to say,” he said.
“The RCMP was telling us that there wasn’t anything to worry about.”
Greenough said the Alberta Cheerleading Association also hired additional security to work the event.
The competition continues Sunday.
Despite 35 teams withdrawing from competition – stands are still packed. #cbc pic.twitter.com/ItZKE7RKqh
— Leah Larocque (@LeahLarocque) March 7, 2015
Flips, cartwheels, rolls! #cbc pic.twitter.com/JSXWYm4KQi
— Leah Larocque (@LeahLarocque) March 7, 2015
