The second Singapore National Cheerleading Championships 2011 saw teams from all over the island battle it out for a spot in the regional championships.
Contributed By Amanda Jayne Lee
Winning team Gusto delivers an electrifying performance. PHOTO COURTESY OF SINGAPORE SPORTS COUNCIL
The image of a cheerleader is usually one of short skirts, abs you can bounce a coin off and really shiny, silky hair. But behind the glossy exterior is a punishing amount of effort, training and teamwork, all of which culminated in the seemingly gravity-defying stunts that were on display at the Singapore National Cheerleading Championships 2011 on March 19 and 20 at the Jurong East Sports Hall.
Team Gusto from Singapore Polytechnic walked away with the top prize in the High School category after its exciting performance on the cheer mat which featured stunts executed with accuracy and finesse. Gusto is scheduled to go on to compete against other squads around the region at the 5th Cheerleading Asia International Open 2011 in Tokyo, Japan this May.
Said Yeo Song Rong, Gusto’s president, “We trained for slightly over half a year for this event. We didn’t expect to win because our stunts are quite difficult and we didn’t really perfect them up till a week ago.”
The second National Cheerleading Championships to be held since last year, the event saw overwhelming support as over 2,000 fans turned up on both days to cheer their favorite teams on. The first day saw teams from all over Singapore competing in events such as the Partners category, where teams tried to outdo each other in pairs, and the All-girls Team category, where five-member squads took to the mat to show-off their cheering and stunt-performing prowess.
The All-girls Team category saw the debut of Kosmos, a team formed by cheerleading enthusiasts who had met during the Asia Conference’s Parade of Schools. “We don’t expect to win, but it will be a good experience,” said Ezekiel Wong, 25, who choreographed the stunts and mixed the music for the team. “We only decided to participate about a month ago.” Despite the short duration of practice, the members performed their stunts with the confidence of professionals and big smiles on their faces. The top place eventually went to Rexas, the team from Republic Polytechnic.
The second day saw teams in the Primary School, High School and the Open category taking to the mats. Shooting Stars from St. Hilda’s Primary School came out tops in their category, while Wildcards, the winners of last year’s Open category, defended their title successfully.
If you missed out on the Cheerleading Championships 2011, you can catch the broadcast on SuperSports Arena on StarHub Channel 201 on April 7 and 10, 2011.
