Submitted Photo At left are members of the Extreme Athletix Junior Hip Hop Team. In the front row, from the left, are Kendyll Tome, Paiden Johnson, Paisley Lawson, Ava Fitzgerald and Avri Hornburg. In the back row, from the left, are Taylor Bailey, Jacqueline Allen, Cali Chapman, Abbey Frederick, Peyton Kent, Avie Russell and Aliza Olsen.

It has been a trying time over the past year for many recreational cheer and dance programs.

The coronavirus has altered the schedules and routines for many participants and has forced a major adjustment process. From health and safety protocols, to not being able to have family or fans in attendance at competitions and events, arguably all aspects of cheer and dance have been impacted in some way.

But members of the local Extreme Athletix cheer and dance program has not let that stop them.

Extreme Athletix, which is comprised of competitive cheer and hip-hop teams for boys and girls ages 3 to 18, has shined during the pandemic responsibly and has kept the health and safety of its members a top priority.

The program’s hard work and dedication during the epidemic recently paid off in a big way.

A new practice and workout facility was rented out at the Allegany Valley Veterans Center in Clarendon, Pennsylvania. It has become a huge asset for the entire organization. In addition, in January, the Extreme Athletix junior hip hop team earned a paid bid to THE ONE Cheer and Dance Finals in Orlando, Florida in May. The event will feature teams from throughout the United States.

The junior hip hop team, also known as the “EA Crew,” received a bid after winning the Champion Cheer Central Winter Beach Blast in Erie.

“This is huge, especially for us,” Extreme Athletix director and coach Shawna Fitzgerald said. “… We started with one little team five years ago and a lot of those kids have stayed with that team and just really got their skills going and we honestly were shocked. (I’m) super proud of them, but we were not expecting it. Hip hop is kind of like our fun, no pressure, let’s just go out and relax and do your thing (event). … When they called our junior hip hop (as the winner) it was like surreal. It was like, ‘You guys finally did this. That is amazing. Because you are this little team in a small area, and you are going to go against teams from all over the place.’ We are super excited.”

Extreme Athletix’s junior hip hop team consists of Kendyll Tome, Paiden Johnson, Paisley Lawson, Ava Fitzgerald, Avri Hornburg, Taylor Bailey, Jacqueline Allen, Cali Chapman, Abbey Frederick, Peyton Kent, Avie Russell and Aliza Olsen.

Donations to help assist the athletes’ travel costs can be sent to the Warren YMCA at 212 Lexington Ave. in Warren with the zip code of 16365, attention Extreme Athletix finals/national donation.

“I (initially) joined for personal reasons as just a parent,” Fitzgerald said. “As the years go by, you get more involved to make the program run and you work together with a lot of great people. … Yes, I have my own child, but all of these kids become my children. You get the same feeling of being proud. … When they achieve this, you are not just proud for your own kid. It is like they are all yours.”

When May rolls around and the Extreme Athletix program descends upon Orlando, it will surely be an experience that the entire group will cherish. The junior hip hop team’s finals bid is a reflection of how successful the entire club has been during this uncertain time.

“That is the most rewarding thing to me,” Fitzgerald said. “To see these kids achieve things and you help them get it or help them build that confidence that they are not only going to use for my sport, but they are going to use that long term. … For them to go and experience something this large at their ages, it is something that they will look back on and be like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we did that.’ … It is a very close group of girls. … I just want them to go out there and have a blast.”

NOTES: Extreme Athletix does have an official website (www.extremeathletix.com). The group has an official Facebook page as well.