Cheerleaders are flying the flag for De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) as they flip and tumble their way to the World Championships.
Bringing together choreographed stunts on the global stage will be a dream come true for the all-female cheer squad featuring DMU cheerleaders.
Representing DMU: Cara Murphy, Nia Durant, Rhian Comley & Sarah Smith
RDC Cheerleaders will be trying to impress the judges at the three-day World Championships at the Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, from April 28.
They will go head-to-head with hundreds of teams from up to 20 nations as they perform a two-and-a-half minute routine to music, which will include stunts, jumps, tumbling, dance and pyramids.
The Senior Level 5 team has been hard at work since winning the national cheerleading championships in Glasgow in March last year. They have stepped up training sessions from once to twice a week, as well as adding extra cardio and conditioning at home.
The team of 22 is made up of four DMU representatives; Education Studies student Nia Durant, 21, Dance graduate Rhian Comley, 23, and university team coaches Sarah Smith, 28, and Cara Murphy, 25.
RDC Cheerleaders are preparing for the World Championships in Florida
Sarah said: “We are the first Leicestershire team ever to win a place at the World Cheerleading Championships.
“We want to put the whole of Leicestershire, particularly DMU, on the map. This is also a massive inspiration to everyone involved in cheerleading at DMU; it’s something for them to aspire to.
“We’re feeling so tired as we’ve been training so hard, but we’re so excited about the competition.
“We’re working to perfect our routine. We’re going for gold but just being in the World Championships is a dream come true for us all.”
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Sarah, who works for the NHS, has been cheerleading for 17 years. She is well-known for coaching the university’s cheerleading team, DMU Saints, which has about 50 members in its female and co-ed teams. The DMU squad train twice a week, on Sunday and Tuesday evenings, and is rapidly establishing itself as one of the UK’s top University teams.
Sarah is also working hard to reinforce the changing image of cheerleading as it has recently been recognised as a sport, and is expected to appear in future Olympic Games.
She said: “Cheerleading is much more than many people think. It’s not just pom poms; we are doing stunts and throwing people into the air!
“Cheerleading is an extremely difficult athletic sport that is growing in popularity.
“It’s a variety of gymnastics, dance and choreography. It incorporates everything and it is great fun.”
To find out more about cheerleading at DMU, visit www.demontfortsu.com and look for cheerleading under sports clubs.
Posted on Wednesday 31 January 2018