Airport Road/Queen street - 8 Oct

Toronto Star Article said:

[h=1]Cheerleading community mourns popular coach killed in Brampton crash[/h][h=2]A cheerleading coach who taught children and teens the sport and who competed on Canada’s national team in 2012 was killed in a motorcycle crash Wednesday.[/h]

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Cheerleading coach Garfield Turner was killed in a motorcycle accident in Brampton on Wednesday.






By: Pam Douglas Brampton Guardian, Published on Thu Oct 09 2014
A cheerleading coach who taught children and teens the sport and who competed on Canada’s national team in 2012 was killed in a motorcycle crash in Brampton Wednesday morning.

The sudden death of Garfield Turner, 30, of Brampton has hit hard his friends and students at Mississauga’s Power Cheer Toronto (PCT) Cobras club where he has been a member for the past five years, first as competitor and, since last season, as a coach.

Turner died after his motorcycle collided with an SUV at the intersection of Queen St. E. and Delta Park Blvd. near Airport Rd. at 7:25 a.m. Wednesday.

The crash is under investigation by Peel Regional Police’s Major Collision Bureau.

His friends say he was likely on his way to work at the TTC, where he was an operations assistant. They recognized his yellow Yamaha motorcycle and the distinctive PCT Cobras backpack in pictures of the crash shown on the news.

Now, they are mourning the loss of a well-known and well-liked personality who they say was fun, funny, and “a great guy”.

“He was one of a kind,” said good friend and club co-owner CJ Pugh. “He was always happy, inviting, welcoming. He was supportive of everyone he met, and fiercely loyal and dedicated to his friends and family.”

Pugh said Turner was “animated, fun and outgoing,” a natural athlete, and he had many interests in his life.

“He was into everything,” he said.

He loved football — and cheered his favourite Washington Redskins team on Sundays — Anime, travel, languages, fitness and “emerging technologies,” according to his Facebook page. He was actively involved in the local Caribbean community, and dressed up to compete and participate in the Caribbean carnival parade every year.

He was also an avid motorcycle rider, and he put a lot of miles on his yellow bike, according to Pugh.

“We talked about it (riding) all the time,” Pugh recalled. He said he wanted to get a motorcycle and ride with his friend.

“That’s not going to happen now.”

Yellow was one of Turner’s favourite colours, and the club is reaching out to the Canadian cheerleading community and asking members to wear yellow in his memory.

Pugh said he was an important part of the club. He represented PCT at the world championships for four years in a row, placing in the top 10, and was a member of Team Canada in 2012 when they placed fourth in Orlando, Fla.

He retired from competition after last season and has been teaching teams of children as young as 4, also giving private and semi-private lessons.

A McMaster University graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree, he was also a partner at international software company ITM House, and a CHRP (Certified Human Resources Professional) candidate.

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