WARSAW – Midwest Xtreme, a USASF Member Gym is based in Warsaw, and owned by the Sammons Family, has announced an addition to their All-Star Cheer line-up, “Team SunShine.”

Team SunShine is for children with Special Needs, ages five and up. Team SunShine is a Co-ed Special Needs All-Star Cheer Team for students with an intellectual and/or physical disability who love to cheer, dance and perform at all levels of functioning.
Midwest Xtreme All-Star Cheer offers friends, fun, music, dancing, cheering and the opportunity to perform in front of enthusiastic crowds, and increasing the students’ courage and confidence. The routine is tailored to the abilities of each individual child so that all children can participate to the full extent of their abilities.

Special Needs Cheer is new to the Warsaw area, but not to the country.

“It’s huge,” said Mary Fehrenbach, a Kentucky coach who in 2001 started the first special needs all-star team, the Kentucky Elite Showcats. “I knew this would happen if we could just get people out there to see it. They can do things. They just need the chance.”

At a time when 5.5 million schoolchildren have physical or intellectual disabilities and relatively few options for before or after-school sports and recreation, the need is great, offered James H. Rimmer, director of the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Midwest Xtreme will host a parent meeting on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 1 p.m. for parents who have a child with special needs and is interested in Team SunShine. The coaching staff will be introduced. The program will be explained in full, with a question and answer session during the meeting.

Midwest Xtreme is located at 1155 Executive Blvd. (CR150 W./S.Side of US30 West/Across from Medtronic) Warsaw. Questions can be directed to (574) 372-3333 or [email protected].