VIDEO: Three Cheers For Local Girls at JamFest 2011

Over 70 girls representing the Burke Tumbling Academy, comprising four cheerleading teams, travelled to Rhode Island on April 10-11 to compete in the JamFest Nationals in Providence.

JamFest cheering and dance competitions are held all over the country, showcasing cheerleading and dance teams of all ages from around the nation.

The competition included All-Star Dance, All-Star Cheering, School Spirit Cheering and Dancing, and Specialty Cheering and Dancing.

The girls are from all over the North Shore, including Swampscott, Lynn, Salem and Marblehead.

Swampscott’s Jen Burke, who runs the Burke Tumbling Academy on Elm Place, took her girls and her coaches to the Ocean State, and the locals performed great on the big stage.

“We took four groups to Rhode Island and everyone did a great job down there,” she said.

Burke started her academy in her basement when she was in high school, and hundreds of local girls have trained under Burke and her staff since she opened her facility in Swampscott.

The youngest group of girls, the “Minis”, finished in sixth place, the youth squad came in third overall, the senior squad finished fourth, and oldest group of high school girls took first place.

Jessie Thayer, one of Burke’s instructors, also participated in JamFest, and was a member of the squad that finished on top.

“It was incredibly exciting to win,” Thayer said. “All of the girls, in every group did really well, we really had a lot of fun.”

The academy trains boys and girls from 18 months old all the way up to adults in the art of cheering, tumbling and gymnastics.

“We had tryouts for the teams we were taking to Rhode Island in December, everybody worked really hard to get ready for JamFest, and I’m really proud of everyone who participated,” Burke said.

Videos of the JamFest events and a list of the “Jammy Awards” are online at www.jamfest.com.

Burke and her staff can be contacted at www.burkestumblingacademy.com.

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