By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
PLYMOUTH — Boom goes the dynamite!
The cheerleaders at this year’s 2009 Charles Bowser NFL Youth Football/Cheerleading Camp certainly were explosive. Working in unison, the young cheerleaders put together a wonderful halftime routine during a flag football game that capped this weekend’s camp.
Miami Dolphins cheerleaders were on hand this weekend to interact with the girls.
Kim Leary, the camp’s cheerleading coach, was thrilled about the outcome.
“This has been a great experience,” Leary said. “The (Dolphins) cheerleaders have brought some excitement. They have taught them character-building, a healthy way to eat, the lifestyle of being a cheerleader, being smart and getting good grades, having fun and being disciplined.”
Amy M. and Kellie C., a pair of Miami Dolphins cheerleaders, were on hand to lend their support.
“This has been amazing,” said Kellie, a rookie on the Miami cheerleading squad. “The kids are so great. They’re eager to learn.
“They’re just full of life. We’re excited to be here and they’re excited to have us. It’s heart-warming to see them be excited to see us.”
Amy, a second-year cheerleader with the Dolphins, was glad she had the chance to mingle with and teach the campers.
“This means a lot for us to come out here,” Amy said. “Just to meet all these kids and to see how they’re doing in life is great.”
The campers were happy they had a chance to spend some time around professional cheerleaders.
“It’s nice because we don’t get opportunities like this all the time,” said Alexis Owens, 14. “It’s a good experience.”
Tiffany Palin, 13, enjoyed learning new routines from the Dolphins cheerleaders.
“It’s been good having them here,” Palin said. “They taught us some things we didn’t know.”
The campers returned the favor to the Dolphins cheerleaders.
“They taught us three dances and we’re hoping that we can bring them back to Miami and teach them to our girls,” Kellie said. “Learning the dances was the highlight, definitely.”
Campers were from Creswell High School, Creswell Elementary, Pines Elementary and Washington County Union. Participants ranged from first grade to tenth grade.
“It’s an exciting time to have all the schools come together and have a wonderful time,” said Leary, who thanked coaches Shirley Henson and LaTasha McNair for their help. “It’s all about learning to work together, and learning how to make friends.
“We’ve had a great time. I’m glad the girls had a chance to have this opportunity.”
There were certainly plenty of reasons to cheer.