‘Helping a little girl’s dream’: Clay County cheer team hosts haunted house ahead of competition season

CLAY COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – A local cheerleading team is treating the community to some spooky fun, and maybe a few tricks, to fundraise for the competition season.

Clay Royalty Cheer Athletics is hosting a haunted house so fees for the upcoming competition season can stay as low as possible for students and their families.

The owner, Shay Edgar got the idea to open the gym because of her own daughter’s love for cheerleading. The closest cheer gym is over an hour’s drive away, and she says that with school being a priority, and waiting lists for the programs, the distance is inaccessible for many families.

Edgar and the community took matters into their own hands to give children a space to call their own. They created a gymnastics and cheer facility along Clay’s Main Street in a building that was formerly a grocery store.

“It’s a little overwhelming and exciting because these girls … up till this point, they’ve not had an experience like this. And I’m very thankful for it. My daughter loves it, and she’s made so many friends through this. It’s a fantastic experience for these girls and an opportunity for this whole entire community,” says Carli Caldwell, a cheer parent and Coach.

Edgar says that they have plans to open a new location in March, about a mile from the current location. They plan to double the size of their program, which is about 40 in the cheer program and 60 in the recreational program.

“When the kids come in, it’s like everyone on their team is their best friend. They come in, they run and play, it’s something that these kids can come together. All of our parents come together. Our parents sit in our parent area, they chit-chat. It’s something where people can come together, we don’t have that in Clay. So, it’s been nice,” says Edgar.

She also says that many of their students come from surrounding towns to take advantage of the classes.

“When people back those fundraisers and they help give back to this they’re helping a little girl’s dream. It’s a beautiful thing to see, and I don’t think people realize that even if it’s just a dollar, it piles up. And it adds up to really creating opportunities for these young children,” says Caldwell.

The haunted house will run every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until the end of October. Admission is $10. Kids 5 years old and under get in for free. For more information visit their Facebook page.

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