Lakeville Cheer Varsity Open Gym

Lakeville Cheerleading / Cheer Open Gyms -

Enrichment Winter/Spring 2026

Varsity open gym is designed to support athletes who are interested in cheering for Varsity Comp as well as Varsity Sideline. These sessions focus on developing essential cheer skills, such as jumps, tumbling, and stunts, in preparation for competitive cheerleading. Open gym is highly recommended for both new and returning members, offering semi-structured sessions where athletes can work on individual skills while also engaging with others. These sessions provide a valuable opportunity for athletes to refine their abilities and prepare for tryouts in a supportive environment.

Please note that this open gym class will be fast paced with minimal coaching instruction/push. Coaches will be present to help spot, troubleshoot skills and supervise as needed but will not be leading the classes. Students will need to be able to work independently and be self motivated. If athletes are not focused and are being disruptive to others, coaches have the right to ask them to leave the open gym class immediately. Please be sure to talk with your athlete about this expectation before registering and attending.

Here are the skills we will be looking for in JV team members:

Tumbling	Standing: Back Handspring Running: Roundoff Back HandSpring series Working towards Back Tucks
Stunts	Extended libs, inversions, spinning skills (full up to prep/extension), switch ups to extensions.
Motions/Jumps	Jumps: good timing and technique, (ie.correct arm placement, locked out legs, pointed toes)Motions: correct placement in all motions, sharp and hard hitting motion. Something coaches will ask is “can this athlete lead the crowd”.
Overall Impression	Positive Attitude Maturity Level Team player Motivates others Good listener Respectful Dedicated

Instructors

Rachel Benedix

Rachel graduated in 2019 from Prior Lake High School. She started cheering in 5th grade and then went on to cheer for Prior Lake’s JV and Varsity teams. Rachel graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 2023 with a Bachelor's in Education and got a job as a 4th-grade teacher. Rachel has coached for Lakeville's LVE and JV teams and is currently coaching LVA, Middle School, and North Sideline. She is excited to continue working with all these amazing athletes in this program.

Haley Sklenar

Haley graduated in 2012 from Park High School in Cottage Grove. She has played many sports through her life including soccer, hockey, softball, rec football, gymnastics, and volleyball. She started cheerleading in high school for football and hockey at Park in 2008. She was also a part of the Competition team at Park. After graduation she attended University of St. Thomas where she cheered on the "Tommies" at Football and Basketball games for three years. She is also a part of the Northern Elite Open 6 team “Inferno” and loves to compete! She has coached for a Varsity team for 2.5 years before coming to Lakeville and is very excited to work with the team and can’t wait to see where this new journey takes her.

April 2026