Footy returned to BB Print Stadium on Saturday, giving punters a look at what they can expect from the Mackay Cutters in 2023 with four teams playing their first trials of the season.

The Cutters hosted the Central Queensland Capras with Cyril Connell Challenge, Auswide Bank Mal Meninga Cup, Harvey Norman Under 19 Girls and Hostplus Cup teams all facing off.

The Cyril Connell Challenge sides were the first to take the field, with the under-16 boys kicking off in the heat of the early afternoon.

The arm wrestle of the first half finished with the Cutters and the Capras tied at 8-8, but the home team kicked into gear in the second half, finishing strongly with a 20-8 win.

It was the under 18 boys to run out next, with the Mal Meninga Cup sides facing off in an edge-of-your-seat thriller.

It was looking dire for the Cutters, as the visitors went into half time with a 0-16 lead, but an inspired second half effort saw the Cutters score 20 unanswered points to finish 20-16 victors.

The difference couldn’t be split between the Harvey Norman U19 Girls squads, with an 8-8 half time score resulting in an epic 16-16 draw at full time.

Finally, the Hostplus Cup squad showed positive signs under new coach Michael Comerford, defeating their central Queensland rivals 24-10.

The Cutters travel to Airlie Beach this weekend with the Hastings Deering Colts, BMD Premiership and Hostplus Cup sides all taking the field at Whitsundays Sports Park on Saturday.

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Congratulations to the Mackay team on winning the Australia Day Swiss Teams in Townsville held 28th and 29th January 2023. This is a fabulous win, as it was a very competitive event. Team - Max, Diane, Janelle and Terry.

Big Congratulations to Eric Goodchild receiving first place in the James Sullivan Silver Master Award 2022 and Terry Sheedy receiving first place in the James Sullivan Grand Master Award.

Weekly Results

Monday 6 February 2023 – Week 3 of 23 Nation Wide Pairs 8 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S

1st David Ting / Eric Goodchild

2nd Alan Brown / Frances Brown

3rd Janelle Conroy / Terrence Sheedy

4th Monica Darley / Robert Carless

E/W

1st Helen Van Den Broek / Jan Harris

2nd Margaret Lane / Barbara Tait

3rd Maria Setiyawan / Geoff Taylor

4th Angela Wilk / Ming Ting

Tuesday Evening 7 February 2023 – 5 Table Mitchell One Winner

1st Helen Van Den Broek / Terrence Sheedy

2nd Janine Rodgers / Jan Harris

3rd Ken Seaniger / Maria Setiyawan

4th Sandra Morris / Diane Morgan

Wednesday 8 February 2023 – 9 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S

1st Diane Holewa / Max Holewa

2nd Janet Hansen / Del Ryan

3rd Maria Setiyawan / Frances Brown

4th Monica Darley / Kath Poole

E/W

1st Janelle Conroy / Alan Brown

2nd Jan Harris / Sandra Morris

3rd Terrence Sheedy / Eric Leivesley

4th Joy Robinson / Robert Carless

Thursday 9 February 2023 –5 Table One Winner

1st Ken Seaniger / Robert Carless

2nd Geoff Taylor / Faye Wright

3rd Richard Wix / Patricia Garner

4th Mick Robins / Ann Whitmore

Friday 10 February 2023 – 8 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S

1st Helen Van Den Broek / Don Poole

2nd Monica Darley / Victor Mason

3rd Mary Rose Ramsden / Noel Saunders

4th Joyce Deguara / Toni Large

E/W

1st Christine Nice / Maria Setiyawan

2nd Geoff Taylor / Joy Robinson

3rd Terrence Sheedy / Janelle Conroy

4th Anne Whitmore / Julie O’Neill

Saturday 11 February 2023 – 12 Table Mitchell Green Points

N/S

1st Joy Robinson / Ken Seaniger

2nd Antonia Tarradas / Christine Nice

3rd Janet Hansen / Diane Morgan

4th Vicki Taylor / Toni Large

E/W

1st Ted Cullinan / Noel Saunders

2nd Debra Goodchild / Eric Goodchild

3rd Janine Rodgers / Terrence Sheedy

4th Helen Van Den Broek / Joy Brunette

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Di, Max, Janelle and Terry won the Australia Day Swiss Teams in Townsville

Eric Goodchild receiving first place in the James Sullivan Silver Master Award

Terry Sheedy receiving first place in the James Sullivan Grand Master Award

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Proserpine Golf Club hosted 22 competitors in the Club’s Tuesday Stableford competition with Michael Jarvis the winner on 39 points, followed by Gary Scotford on 37, and Karl Kirkwood on 36, with Brad Fleet winning the NT.,  

On Wednesday the ladies competed for the PD Law Monthly Medal, with Lyn Muller too good for the rest of the field with a very nice 70 nett, closely followed by Diane Chard on 71, and Trish McNeill on 72 nett.

NTP’s: Trish McNeill, Marlene Gray, Toni Clauss, and Pam Harrison.  

Thursday’s Venue Smart Division One Monthly Medal was won by Gary Scotford on 71 nett, followed by club patron Billy Woods on 71. The Division Two Monthly Medal clear winner was Peter Elms on 64 nett, followed by Adam Tester on 67.

NTP’s: Nick Apruzzese, Mark Davidson, Gary Scotford, and Adam Tester.

Unfortunately, Saturday and Sunday’s competitions were a wash out.

Contributed with thanks to Proserpine Pro Shop

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On Wednesday at Proserpine Bowls Club Bruce Uhe and Barry Zillmann defeated John Anderson and Warren Wilson, 19-12, in a game of Three Bowl Pairs.

Alen Sanderson played double lead in a game of Triples which saw himself, Philip Brown, and Mike Harrison draw against, Heather Brown and Mary Hedgelong – with Allen too - 13 all.

On Sunday, Carol Crosbie played double lead in the game between her team of Mike Harrison, and Philip Brown against Bruce Uhe and Heather Brown, with the former side coming out the victor 24-11.

The final match of the week was tightly contested but Alen Sanderson and Peter Lawton defeated John Anderson and Sandy Daffara, 18–15, in the end.

Proserpine Bowls Club extended its thanks to those the diligent workers keeping the club in tip-top shape during the holidays which meant a smooth transition back to the season.

Contributed with thanks to Heather Brown

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Airlie Beach Bowls Club has seen a surge of high-class action over the past week with the summer heat bringing out the best in the members.

Tuesday afternoon's bowls games proved to be scintillating, with the guile of club skipper Margo Stanley and her partner Betty Whitehorn, who is currently in a purple patch, proving to be too much for their opponents Neil Moore and Karen Jensen.

Wednesday's Jackpot Bowls was equally impressive with Graham Cowling and Mark Mawson emerging as the big winners of the day.

The Wednesday night Business House Bowls also saw some exciting games, but they were cut short due to a tropical storm.

The Saturday morning Scroungers event had three first round winners in Betty Whitehorn, Andy McDougall, and Warren Mills.

Betty's husband, Tony Whitehorn, won the B division, continuing his success from last season.

The Saturday afternoon Men's Division tryouts for Pennants were well-organized by John Brown and John Fielding, showcasing the amazing talent in the division.

Sunday afternoon's Social Bowls, excellently organized by Lyn Graham, saw Craig Coleman as skipper with exciting new bowler Dawn Dowel at lead and reliable Neil Moore at second winning the event.

Article written with information from Mark Mawson

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Tips on navigating safely

• Visibility: Operate slowly in rain, fog, mist, smoke and glare. Take special care when travelling at night as potential hazards are harder to see. Ensure you operate at a safe speed.

• Other boats: Slow down in busy areas and when near moored or anchored boats, and remember — working boats and larger vessels may have difficulty manoeuvring.

• Navigation hazards: Slow down in shallow areas and when boating in unfamiliar water. Water depth can vary and change quickly in and around reef areas, and also in freshwater.

• Wind, waves and currents: These may affect the boat’s stopping and turning ability. The type of motor, hull and design will all impact on the boat’s manoeuvrability.

• Check your navigation lights are working and fitted correctly. We did have to assist one boat this year with the nav lights on the wrong sides! Did not know if he was coming or going!

Collision rules: The ‘International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea’ (COLREGs) are the traffic laws of the sea. They give clear indication about passing, approaching, giving way and overtaking to avoid collisions with other boats. All boat skippers must thoroughly understand and apply the rules in all situations.

Channels: When navigating in narrow channels, all boats should travel on the starboard or right-hand side of the channel and pass oncoming boats on the port side. If plenty of distance separates two passing boats, there’s no need to deliberately alter course to pass to the right of the other boat. The rule is simply there to remove doubt in the event of a close situation. Small boats (including sailing boats) should keep clear of large boats that have limited room to manoeuvre in channels.

Giving way: All boats, whether power or sail, must always take action to avoid a collision. Power boats ‘Look all around, give way to the right, turn to the right and stay to the right’.

Head on: When meeting head on, both boats are required to alter course to starboard (right), never to port (left). Any turn should be large enough to be obvious to the other boat.

Overtaking: If you are overtaking a boat, you can do so to either side of the boat you wish to pass.

However, you must keep well clear of the boat you are overtaking. This applies to both sail and powerboats. In narrow channels you must be particularly careful when overtaking. In all instances, make sure you do not cut in front of the boat you have overtaken.

VMRW membership is cheap insurance at just $90. You can join online at https://vmrwhitsundays.com.au/join/ .

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Activations keep on rolling on, and we are running at the same record level as last year at this stage.

Contributed with thanks to Mal Priday.

1: Don’t be a fool, follow the rules and avoid costly errors

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The youngest parkrunners took over the weekly event last Sunday, overseeing 79 people run, jog and walk the five-kilometre waterfront course.

Six visitors and a few first timers - Leighann, Rosalyn, Justin, and Connor - were welcomed, and seven recorded new personal bests: Jayden, Shay, Steve, Warren, Ian, Michala, and Leigh.

Airlie Beach parkrun also extended its congratulations to Max, who completed his tenth parkrun as a junior.

The event was made possible by Joshua and his team of 26 dedicated volunteers: Nick, Timothy, Kara, Kirsty, Kelly, Corrine, Nicole, Molly (photographer), Chloe, Lucy, Wendy, Mace, Calvin, Max, Carys, Rhiannon, Jess, Sebastian, Lilliana, Laura, Lynne, Dennis, Addison, Hudson, and Isla.

On Saturday, February 18, Airlie Beach parkrun will be conducting a Pride-themed day, celebrating the inclusivity of all at parkrun, especially the LBQT+ community.

The date aligns with WorldPride day and is supported by parkrun and Proud2Play. All participants and volunteers are encouraged to participate in rainbow sportswear.

Every Saturday Airlie Beach parkrun meets at 6:50am for a briefing at area D, Coral Sea Marina (adjacent to the top carpark). Parking is free in the lower carpark till 9:30am if a parkrun barcode is placed on the dashboard. Post parkrun coffee and chat is held at Bohemian Raw cafe.

There are no winners at parkrun and nobody comes last – the Tail walkers do. Regular participation is rewarded rather than performance, with ‘parkrun milestone shirts’ available to people to recognise their achievements in coming along.

Contributed with thanks to Airlie Beach parkrun

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Caption 1: Airlie Beach parkrun was taken over by the kids last week, who filled the volunteering roles of the successful weekly event

Caption 2: The youngsters took on every role at Airlie Beach parkrun

Caption 3: The Jones Family who travelled from Bowen to celebrate Shay's birthday with a parkrun

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Proserpine Veteran’s Golfers turned out in force on Sunday as 31 players arrived to take on the full course and posting some respectable scores.

The course’s back nine was still heavy due to rain, yet it didn’t put a dampener on Peter Fox who made a remarkable comeback from last week to take out first place with 38 points.

He was followed by Colin Hounsell on a countback from John Strelec also on a countback from Gary Scotford.

Jenny Hounsell has found herself on a winning streak, claiming the ladies crown last weekend with 33 from Lyn Muller, 32, on a countback from Tiina Randmae.

Pin shots went to Warren Deighton twice, Colin Hounsell, Nic Apruzzese , Gary Scotford, Billy Jesser, Lyn Muller and Helen Deighton, and Jenny Hounsell with two also.

Contributed with thanks to Paula McQuat

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On Tuesday, January 31, at Wangaratta Bowls Club, two pairs and one triples were played.

Robyn Stitt and Mark Defranciscis defeated Denise Wallace and Mark Drummond, while Rodney Mumby and Graeme Read defeated Deb Retchless and Allan Rolfe.

Gwenda Lyson, Isobel Wheeler, and Penny Warrend were the final side to join the winner’s circle, defeating Bron Tolcher, Merle Elphinstone, Sue Shearing, and Linda Smith.

Sunday’s winners came out on Rink Three: Merle Elphinstone, Sue Shearing, and Greg Colquhoun defeating Rodney Mumby, Isobel Wheeler, and Allan Rolfe.

Other winners were Laurie Land and Pat Tracey in the match against Linda Scelle and Sugar Brunker. Meanwhile, Deb Retchless, Penny Warren, and Geoff Danvers defeated Bill Myers, Denise Wallace, and Graeme Read.

The final game saw Kent Moriarty and Kennedy Whitton defeat Lyn Danvers and Mark Defranciscis.

Contributed with thanks to Penny Warren

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The weekly Wednesday Social games at Bowen Bowls Club hosted plenty of familiar faces in tight matchups.

Peter Bruce, Gavin Charles, and Doc Fordham claimed the victory over the team of Robyn Stitt, Jane Gilbert, and Ian Best.

Meanwhile, Mary Ellen Pratten, Lee Welsted, and Steve Roome defeated Peter Thomson, Ross Scanlon, and Mark Rogers.

Then Jan Randall, Allen Williams, and Jeff Tierney joined the winner’s circle, beating the side of Carol O’Connell,Lorraine McArthur, and Jill Brabon.

Ron Gould, Lou Fordham, Gus Munro who defeated Joan Edwards/Eddy Neylon, Paula Welsted,Daryl Tuttle.

The club would like to inform that there will be no social bowls this weekend as the Men’s Classic will be using the green.

Contributed with thanks to Joan Edwards

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Caption: One of Bowen Bowls Club’s winning teams from Wednesday Social Bowls, comprised of Ron Gould, Lou Fordham, and Gus Munro

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Last weekend the Cannonvale Cannons Swimming Club sent 22 athletes to compete at the Townsville Tourist LC Transition Meet.  

Coaches Ken Crittenden and Mark Erickson were impressed with all the swimmers and their performances.  

The Cannons posted a total of 53 personal best times at the event and many came home with ribbons or medals.

The coaches were excited that Jacob Bell, Holly Perrin, and Remy Hedges were selected for the 13 years and over Skins events, with Jacob eventually finishing second, Holly fourth, and Remy seventh.  

Jacob Bell, Ruby Harland, and Celeste Orenshaw were very competitive at the Meet, swimming personal bests and top placing in the majority of their events.  

Charlie Doherty had a successful carnival: one of his top swims was his 400-metre Freestyle which he swam in 5.50.96 to earn first place and a 22.58 second personal best (PB).

Charlie’s sister, Evie, was very happy with her second place in the 50-metre Breaststroke, while Nelson Malady swam extremely well in his Butterfly events and 200-metre IM.  

Nelson finished second place in his 100-metre Butterfly - 1.36.96.  

Harry and Eloise Chegwidden both swam three PBs and Eloise came first in her 25-metre Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke.  

Dylan and Andie Reynolds both swam three PBs, with Dylan’s best swim earning her first place in the 50-metre Backstroke in a time of 46.94 seconds.

Andie impressed with her 100-metre Freestyle which she claimed first place for in 1.33.26.  

Levi Smith was outstanding, winning all his races and swimming three PBs. His sister Indi also had a great weekend – her best swim coming in the 50-metre Backstroke.

Don Algie swam extremely well, and his best swim was his 200-metre Freestyle which earnt him first place and a 5.8 second PB.  

Even though Jax Clayworth, Thomas Ganter and Remy Hedges did not swim any PBs, they all won six or seven medals.  

Zane Clayworth, Tiana Bell, Jack Ganter, Indi Harland, Koa Harland, and Holly Perrin each had an enjoyable carnival, swimming personal bests and earning top placings their age groups.  

The Cannonvale Cannons extended its congratulations to club members and a big thanks to parents.  

Contributed with thanks to Raylene Rasmussen

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Twilight Race: 20 knot northerly winds and lumpy seas in the Coral Sea meant a smaller than normal fleet for the Whitsunday Sailing Club’s twilight race on Wednesday, February 1.

Only 10 boats braved the elements – but those who ventured out had an exhilarating experience, with a good view of the incoming thunderstorm looming from behind.

The first fleet away appeared to be caught out by the conditions and leaving their run to the start too late.  

Only Twister (Kevin Fogarty) made the start look easy, leading the fleet away, but they were soon engulfed by the faster boats in the fleet.  

Bobby’s Girl (Mark Beale) was delayed with a last minute sail change, allowing QMS Ponyo (John Galloway), Reignition (Charles Wallis), and Smooth Criminal (Leo Rodriguez) to lead at the first mark.

QMS Ponyo held a comfortable lead throughout as Bobby’s Girl worked back through the fleet, made easier when a clumsy mark rounding by Smooth Criminal delayed their progress.  

While all the action was at the front, Twister kept everyone on their toes, staying close enough to the leaders to take the corrected time win over QMS Ponyo and Reignition

A more aggressive start in Division Three saw Rossgo (Greg Hammon) leading the fleet away, but once again, Wobbly Boot (Craig Piccinelli) soon took the lead.  

The challenge for Rossgo was to try to keep Masquerade (Tom Vujasinovic) behind, but the smaller Masrm 750 found a way through, with these two boats in close proximity through the race, while Shiraz (John Cable) had a series of issues delaying their progress.  

All looked good until Wobbly Boot slowed with a split mainsail, reducing their progress sailing under headsail alone.  

They had just enough of a lead to cross the finishing line first, just in front of Masquerade and Rossgo.  This left Masquerade the winner on corrected time from Rossgo and Lama (Jim Hayes).

Races continue every Wednesday from 4:30pm, with limited crewing positions available.  Those wishing to participate as crew need to be at the club by 2:30 pm (limited spots available).

Contributed with thanks to Ross Chisholm

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Caption: Sailboat Reignition, which this week lost out on corrected time to QMS Ponyo at Whitsunday Sailing Club’s Twilight Race last Wednesday

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Saturday, 28 January 2023, made for an exciting day for our Dolphins – a local swim meet in our beautiful Mackay, hosted by Mirani Swimming Club.  48 swimmers from Pioneer Swimming Club made our way out to Mirani where our swimmers enjoyed a day in the sun seeking more personal bests.

Under the guidance of Coach Igor, our swimmers keep smashing goals they set for themselves. Yvonne Bellear did just that – swimming under the qualifying time for 50m freestyle, allowing her to nominate for the Queensland Sprint Championships held in Brisbane on 11-12 February.  Jack Smith also beat his personal best and met the qualifying time for 50m freestyle. Zahli Herring qualified for another 2 events (having already qualified for 50m freestyle) – 50m Backstroke and 50m Breaststroke; and Annaliese Miles qualified for her third event (having already qualified for freestyle and backstroke) – 50m butterfly.  We have quite the State Team building! Igor’s mentoring is working a treat.  

The Carnival also holds a “Dash for Cash” event – the fastest 6 swimmers (in certain age groups) swim the 50m freestyle dashing for staged prize money (first place taking out the highest amount, second taking slightly less and so on). The following Dolphins qualified/ swam in the event: Ralph Traeger, Madison Malagueno, Annaliese Miles, Joleigh Strydom, Georgie Brand, Alex Moss, Henry Porter, Yasmin Seedwell, Ella Bounden, Kailu Bellear, Viktor Lee and our frequently visiting swimmer from Darwin, Dylan Mende.

The grounds and pool at the Mirani Swimming Pool are always a treat for our swimmers and the day did not disappoint. Thank you, Mirani Swimming Club!

Contributed by Tahnie Malagueno

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Group Image: Pioneer Swimming Team at the Mirani Swimming Club meet

Image 1 Ashlee Berridge and Kenny Brand

Image 2 Bethany Miles Luka Herring Makenna Malagueno

Image 3 Luka Herring and Bethany Miles

Image 4 Max Demin and Rex Traeger

Image 5 Xavier Saxby

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Round the twist. Mad as a March hare.

How could anyone ride a bike like that? They’d have to be MAD.

Why is it that Mackay and District (MAD) BMX Club Inc. has built a reputation as one of the region’s favourite pastimes where kids shoot around its two, custom-built tracks in Mackay and Walkerston?

It’s because anyone can ride a bike!

Children from as young as two years of age head out to the courses in droves to take part in the weekly outings at the MAD BMX Club because they have already fallen in love with the sport.

There are toddlers with energy to burn, those already with a competitive fervour, and the ones looking for fun. And one better for parents looking for flexibility: you’re not locked into attending every week.

And it’s not just youngsters that take in the adrenaline-fuelled riding, adults of all ages find a community in BMX unlike any other, especially those who get to ride with their kids– and there are opportunities aplenty to come and try it for free.

MAD BMX Club will be hosting a booth at this weekend’s Mackay Sports Expo and a Come and Try Day next weekend on Sunday, February 19 for all ages to have a try at its Mackay Track.

Maybe you could find the sense of freedom that BMX gives its riders yourself.

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Image: Darting around the course at Mackay and District (MAD) BMX Club Inc. is one of the region’s favourite pastimes

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Over the past decade, cheerleading as a competitive team sport has grown exponentially nationwide and worldwide, with the 2022 AASCF (Australian) National Championships having over 13,000 athletes for this single event.

It is not surprising that over the past 18 years, Adrenalin Cheer & Dance has played a role locally, educating students about the competitive sport and building a program that supports individual athlete development and excellence as well as team success.

If you weren't sure what this sport involves, a cheer team might consist of around 8 to 32 athletes executing a series of tumbling, dance, stunts, pyramid, and toss skills designed to be performed with a high level of precision to a fast-paced soundtrack. For this reason, you can imagine a well-rounded team requires athletes of all physiques and skill sets, making it an ideal and inclusive sport for all.

The local sporting club in Mackay trains everything from the casual first-time students up to the competitive athlete, a place for every student, accommodating to those looking to compete and build new, lifelong friendships.

Adrenalin Cheer and Dance hold recreational classes, building skills and confidence for new students and offering competitive programs opportunities for beginners up to level five cheer in addition to pom and hip hop teams.

The expert coaches come from backgrounds as competitive athletes, bringing their wealth of skills to the floor with them.

With a pedigree of past and present success, Adrenalin has claimed national titles, as well as placed and won international championships in both cheerleading and hip hop.

If you want to learn how to tumble, dance, or get started in cheerleading, you’ll find Adrenalin Cheer & Dance at the Mackay Sports Expo this weekend.

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Image: Local studio Adrenalin Cheer & Dance is here to teach one of the world's fastest-growing sports

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