Craig Daily Press

Photo by Hans Hallgren

Taylor Brenner performs a back tuck Saturday at Gymstar. The team is preparing for its season opening tournament in October.

The vast space inside the Gymstar Fun & Fit Gymnastics building on Saturday is eerily quiet when considering there are more then 20 participants present.

Each has stopped training and focused their attention on Jordan Porter.

Porter takes a deep breath, steadies her hands at her sides and takes off running down the springboard floor of the makeshift warehouse.

Into the air she flies, twisting and turning until she lands firmly on her feet.

Her heels land softly, without the slightest stumble, as a grin wider than her cheeks can seem to hold erupts on her face.

The room explodes in applause and congratulatory chants for Porter’s perfectly executed routine.

“That was a round-off back hand spring layout with a full twist,” Porter says smiling while trying to catch her breath. “That was the first time I landed it this year.”

All in a days work for the Moffat County Thunder cheer team.

Coach Jannie Brenner put her team through its three-day summer camp Thursday through Saturday, with Porter one of the team members working on her tumbling skills.

“Now is when we get back to fundamentals and get a feel for what we have as a team,” Brenner said. “It’s a whole new year for us.”

The Thunder capped off last season with a third-place finish at the national finals in Las Vegas, but Brenner said last year is gone and a new season is upon them.

“We are resting with what we did last season,” she said. “This year, we have added two boys to our team, so we are going to be in a different division.”

Members of the Thunder practice year-round for the chance to perform a two-and-a-half minute routine.

“We are from a small town, but that doesn’t mean we are small in stature,” Brenner said. “We go hard and fast all the time. We have one chance to perform at our best, and we are working hard to make the best of that opportunity.”

The team will compete in four events this season in an attempt to qualify for the nationals.

“It is definitely a fast and exciting sport,” Brenner said. “We do what we do because we love it.”

The team lost one member from last season, but added five newcomers this season.

Brenner said there always is room for interested boys and girls on the team, but the timid need not apply.

“This is definitely not a sport for sissies,” she said. “You have to be flexible, have core strength, endurance and power. We may be from a small town, but we have big goals.

“It’s all about finishing number one.”

John Vandelinder can be reached at 875-1793 or jvandelinder@craigdailypress.com