Manitoba cheer team wins gold medal in international competition

Coaches Joan McNeilly and Lexa Moorhouse share how their Winnipeg team defied the odds to win at NCA All-Star Nationals.

A Manitoba cheer team won a gold medal in the biggest cheerleading competition in the world.

Central Cheer’s Icons is an under-16 cheerleading team made up of 23 athletes aged between 12 and 17. Between March 19 and 21, the team, coached by Joan McNeilly and Lexa Moorhouse, visited Houston to participate in the 2026 National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) All-Star National Championship, where they received a gold medal for level two small division.

“It’s known as the biggest competition as there’s over 1,600 teams (performing),” said Lexa Moorhouse, the team’s all-star director and coach. “Our little team of 23 athletes — we went, we conquered and we won.”

It wasn’t an easy win, however, due to differences in scoring.

“(The difference) is quite significant. In Canada, we compete on what’s called a comparative score sheet, so we are directly compared to our competitors … where as in the States, it is a rubric score sheet — they’re not directly comparing you to who you’re competing against.”

The team was aiming for the ‘hit zero,’ meaning zero deductions, but a stunt issue on day one and the scoring difference landed the team in fifth place, Moorhouse said.

But the team didn’t let the first day bring the mood down.

“We were able to have a practice at a local Houston gym, in which we were able to fine-tune those little issues we had.”

On day two, everyone was more used to the environment and confidence “just exuded,” Moorhouse said — getting their ‘hit zero’ and boosting their place from fifth to first.

One of the 23 athletes, Jessie Kadzviti, said it was unbelievable.

“We were against many teams that were widely known across the U.S. that had world championships and everything,” Kadzviti said on Sunday.

“We had provided ourselves the first team in Manitoba to have won first place at NCA and I think it was such an exciting moment and I was glad to be part of it.

“My mom — she just couldn’t believe it. She heard a lot about this competition and she called me on the phone because she couldn’t be there with me, but she was so excited for me and my team.”

Moorhouse said this win wasn’t just for the team, but for the entire cheerleading community in Manitoba.

“To my athletes, you have severely put in so much effort. You are way better than I could ever be.

“Something coach Jo and I jokingly said is, ‘We always want to train the next generation to be better than the last,’ and (the athletes) accomplished that. You’ve accomplished a once-in-a-lifetime dream that any cheerleader in the entire world looks forward to.”

8 hours of practice in a day

The team was officially formed in August 2025, with some preparation done since June 2025.

“We were trying different stunts, tumbling passes, looking at things that we had potentially wanted to have in our routine,” Moorhouse said.

After getting choreography done by McNeilly, who is also an in-house choreographer, the grind started.

“We had spent approximately eight hours (a day). Athletes were in the gym — I know it’s a long day for them — they did super well, we learned the routine,” Moorhouse said.

Kadzviti said it is indeed a challenge, but it’s always “something you can do.”

“Cheerleading is very physically demanding, especially with conditions in many aspects of routines such as like tumbling, flipping your body around, stunting, carrying people in the air.”

While the team is done for the season, the practice won’t stop, Moorhouse said.

“Now we have what we call our level up practices. We are currently at level two, so we are trying skills that are maybe level three or four and then just gearing up for the next season.”