For the first time in CSU history, every team representing the University of Stirling’s Cheerleading Club won 1st place at the BCA Cheer and Dance Scottish Sensations Championship.
The four teams that competed this year included Pom, Lyrical, Level 2 All-Girls and Level 1 Co-Ed.
Level 1 Co-Ed also hit a zero on their routine and the Pom team was also awarded phenomenal performance of the day, beating the various other teams competing.
CSU has been attending competitions for the past decade but has never had a result this good.
“It’s unheard of… We’ve had wins but never more than two teams at a time… We’ve gone from being the worst university for cheer in Scotland to being the best,” says CSU president Rebecca Leiper.
The club isn’t planning to stop there however and are competing at the BCA Cheer and Dance British University Nationals in Derby on March 11 – 13.
This competition is only open to university teams and 90% of the team must be current students at the named University. 10% of the team can be past students if they have graduated from the named University within the past 4 years.
“Going in with our clean sweep, we’re confident, we know what to improve on, but we’d honestly just be happy to place top 5 in Nationals.”
Rebecca Leiper has been a part of Cheerleading at Stirling University since her first year but had never taken part in the sport before she came to the university in 2019. She said: “The majority of our members did gymnastics or dance before coming to university but joined CSU wanting to try something new.”
CSU has 60 members across the entire club which includes social members. Each team trains at least twice a week but in the lead-up to competitions often train at least three times a week and individual stunt groups train in their own time as well.
“Our members are literally athletes. It’s hard but everyone really helps each other out. They’re all so passionate, not just about cheerleading, but about the club itself.”
When asked about a response to what people have to say about cheerleading not being a ‘real’ sport, Leiper said: “You should come watch our performances.
“People think that, as the cheerleading club, we go to football games and stand there with pom-poms, cheering them on.
“I don’t think people understand the skill, the technique and how much hard work cheer is.
“It can be dangerous as well, so you need to be really careful with what you’re doing to your body. So come watch us, give it a try and you will see how intense it is.”
To find out more about CSU Cheer follow their Instagram page.
Featured Image Credit: CSU Cheer
3rd year English and Journalism student and secretary of Brig Newspaper
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