LEWISTON – Lucy Frenette tucked into a somersault, bounced to her feet and faced the front of the mat with a dozen others in a choreographed move that was – almost – in tandem.

She beamed with the undiluted confidence of a 3-year-old, round face offset with high pigtails.

“I’m doing a great job,” she told the coach.

Tammy Klemanski smiled back.

Around her, the sixth floor of the old Continental Mill buzzed with twirling, babbling, fidgeting, little-girl chaos.

This fall, for the first time, the city’s two private cheerleading gyms are offering classes to kids as young as 2. They practice dance moves, tumbling and even back handsprings with one-on-one help.

Coaches say students, mostly girls, learn balance, anatomy, patience, how to listen to an adult who’s not mom or dad and get a taste of what big girls do.

“We’re getting a lot of ex-cheerleaders coming in with their children,” said Deneka Deletetsky, who co-owns Fortier Family Cheer Center with her sister, Tiffany Fortier. “I was telling them yesterday, ‘OK, kneel on your knee,’ two of them didn’t know what their knee was – it was so cute.”

Her gym just moved into the Andy Valley School of Gymnastics on Westminster Street, taking the place of two former, refitted racquetball courts.

The Klemanksi’s Maine Event Cheer & Training Center is in the mill.

Both gyms already had squads of teenage girls who travel the country competing.

Maine Event started its Learn to Cheer program last October with 12 kids ages 2 to 6. By the end of the cheer season in April, they’d mastered a two-minute routine.

This year, Learn to Cheer attracted 48, Mike Klemanski said. Class is taught by volunteer coaches and older cheerleaders. Kids are broken into smaller groups after a warm-up jog and stretches.

“Everyone’s looking for an activity for their kids. Cheering has grown exponentially over the last five years,” he said.

Kelly Chung of Lewiston is one of the volunteer coaches. Her 3-year-old daughter took the class last year then joined that gym’s new Tiny Cheer competitive team this season.

Most difficult: “Keeping them all occupied. You get them all focused for one minute and then they take off,” Chung said. “I think they’re just cute to watch at that age, it’s just fun.”

Fortier Family Cheer Center started Cheer 101 this summer, for kids 2 to 10. It runs for eight week sessions. The latest started Nov. 1.

Deletetsky said she wants to keep classes small and add sessions to meet demand.

“They’ve been great, the kids love it,” she said.

LuAnn Frenette of Lewiston said she’s happy to see Lucy getting exercise and having fun.

“That’s all I want. I’m not looking for her to be a superstar cheerleader, I’m just looking for fun,” LuAnn Frenette said. “She’s been excited about the water break because she wants a little cup.”

When the break came, Lucy hung out by the water cooler the longest, enjoying every sip.

Jamie Auger and Horace Strachan watched daughter Emily from a picnic table on the sidelines at a recent practice at Maine Event. Strachan was originally “a little bit opposed.” Maybe the 3-year-old’s too young. Maybe she’ll hurt herself one of these times to she tries to cartwheel in the house.

“It was mom’s call,” he said.

Auger said she loves watching her daughter interact with other kids. While she spoke, Emily held hands with a new friend sitting next to her on the mat.

“I picked her up from day care and she asked, ‘Are we going to cheering now?'” Auger said. “I said we’ve got to eat something first. She said, ‘I don’t need to eat mom, I’m ready to cheer.'”

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