You're twisting my words. I am astounded and thrilled at the rate cheerleading is growing and improving in the UK, and I do appreciate the hard work the kids put into it (I actually compete myself and I know how much hard work is required to win a national title). My point is that we cannot call ourselves athletes or stress that what we do is a sport if we are not pushing ourselves as hard as we can and attempting to further the athleticism of what we do. It is tumbling and stunting that make cheer a sport/athletic discipline.
One question - why is it "not allowed" to teach tumbling? My coaching qualifications allow me to coach tumbling... I don't understand. Is this a UKCA rule?

I am not twisting anyones words read back.
AT no point did i say this team were top athletes, i said cheer leading team, i am proud of them and so are all their mums.
They have all worked so hard for this comp and to come second in their first comp especially at the nationals WAS fantastic.

I also did not say my daughter could not teach gymnastics i said she was NOT ALLOWED under the rules they compete by! i am actually a gym teacher myself and qualified in 12 other sports and have a sports degree so between us we are truly capable of teaching a few back flips and somersaults BUT AGAIN ARE NOT ALLOWED!!!!
there are girls in uk who do tumble and stunt but under different rules, which i mentioned but again this doed not take anything away from the girls who do not.

Last year we took a different squad the the world champs in manchester and watched and everyone was fantastic there was two sections cheerdance and cheerleading but we did not say that one was better that the other just different.
The chinese were ABSOLutly fab and made everyone else look like beginners
sorry just my opinion
this is now finished as i am not getting intop a slanging match about who is and is not a proper cheerleader, our team ARE FANTASTIC give 500% at every practice and deserve everything they have a fantastic attitude and i love them all.
AND A special congratulations to beth who is the new cheerleading captin

WEll done girls at blackpool

from jackie an grandma xxxx

I`m loving the uniforms, awesome pictures.

I must be typing in invisible letters or something... because every time I come back here there is more and more talk about the damn boots. I'm beginning to wish I never posted these damn photos in the first place.

I feel like I'm talking to myself every time I post about our COMPETITION squad not wearing the boots and that we wear our 'Converse Centre Stage' cheerleading shoes and do stunts and tumbling. Because it doesn't seem that people bother to read all the replies... they just jump to their own conclusions time after time.

We have been working our butts off for the last month and will be training atleast another 20 hours before we leave for Queensland for our competition.

People can think what they like... I think our squad rocks... so I don't really care what the rest of you think!

allrounda, I'm really sorry. This whole thread is kind of a mess, and it's really stupid how everyone is hijacking and fighting over the stupidest things.

I asked about the boots because personally, I'd never really seen them on cheerleaders before I saw your picture. Frankly, I'm amazed that you guys can do *anything* in those things, let alone tumble or do any stunting.

Just wondering- no offense intended at all- what kind of stunts are you doing for your competitions? Do you use different shoes? I ask because I'm curious. Cheer squads where I live just don't use boots like that. My personal opinion would be that it's kind of dangerous to stunt or tumble in heels. They're not as supportive, and it makes inuries a lot more likely. I'd kill myself if I tried anything in them. I'm honestly not trying to be offensive, it's just something I'm curious about.

I think *this* is why a lot of people were commenting on the boots. The fact that you guys use them isn't wrong, but a lot of us have never really seen that before. I think a lot of us just tend to think of heels as something NOT to be worn to cheer in. I'm curious about it, and I guess a lot of other people are, too.

That said, I do think they go better with your uniforms than regular cheer shoes would.

I think your team is great In the pictures, you guys all look very happy and close, which is awesome. I for one am glad you posted the pictures of your team! It sucks that this thread has kind of gotten out of hand, but it looks like a lot of threads on the cheer section are sharing a similar fate.

well said dark ivy, i totally agree. i wish i had never said anything My daughter has a cheer team and i would hate her to post anything on here in case she got slagged off. Her team are very young they all work hard and dont deserve the comments that have been posted, i am proud of them and her for teaching them.

my daughter does several kinds of dancing including ballroom, latin, disco, ballet, tap and cheerleading and i am sorry to say this part of dance.net (CHEERLEADING is the bitchest) with certain people just starting arguments for the sake of it.
maybe i have the wrong impression BUT i dont think so !!!!

but you did say you have girls do ro bhs in those boots, which is one of the most dangerous things we've ever heard and we're warning you of the consequences. ankle injuries aren't always something you can easily get over in a month, why not take the precautions and prevent one from occuring?

people get hurt so easily tumbling in real athletic shoes, it's beyond me how someone could tumble at all in boots like those and not get hurt.

"people get hurt so easily tumbling in real athletic shoes, it's beyond me how someone could tumble at all in boots like those and not get hurt."

That's exactly why I'm curious, and why I originally assumed allrounda's squad must not tumble or stunt.

Again, I'm not trying to be rude, I've just never seen that before, you know?

I'm with you, DarkIvy. I don't want to be rude, I'm just a little curious.

i'm not only curious - i'm flat out baffled. i can't imagine tumbling or stunting in boots like those. and yes, she said they have different shoes for competitions, but she said they do bhs's and stunts at games.... anyway, why wouldn't you just wear your athletic shoes for the games too?

i'm not only curious - i'm flat out baffled. i can't imagine tumbling or stunting in boots like those. and yes, she said they have different shoes for competitions, but she said they do bhs's and stunts at games....

anyway, why wouldn't you just wear your athletic shoes for the games too? games are always great practices for competition. why would you wear boots that you can't do your competition tumbling in, when you could be wearing shoes to the games that you could tumble in?

I would never be able to cheer/ dance in those BIG WHITE BOOTS!!!!! Yall are so brave i get ya props for that one.

didn't she say they wore those boots at a North Sydney League game?

Trust me when I say, at a league game, they'd probably get a minute dance at the beginning and maybe a minute at half time.

Dancing for games is not major, and I don't usually see much moving around. Its just to entertain the 30,000 people standing around in the cold waiting for the league to start!

If you get used to the boots, I'm sure they would be ok.. a tad dangerous, but hey, dancers have worn worse things.

I would be more worried about freezing at night wearing teeny cheerleading costumes on the field.

Its ENTERTAINMENT. Thats why they have the big pom poms, and boots.. the audience is FAR away and they have to stand out.

And she said multiple times that they wear normal shoes at competitions. Where I assume they are not getting paid to get all dolled up and entertain league crowds, and they can be serious athletes.

Jeez, culture clash. Not everything is the same world wide guys!

And to allronda, you guys look like you're having fun! I tried out for a super 12 dance squad once, those pom poms are HEAVY, and waving them around gives you great abs.. you don't look chubby at all!

Sparkz - Well said!

you girls look great and i think you should change for anyone things can be different ppl shouldnt be so narrow minded thinking that there way is right all the time and they shouldnt really call they self CHEER leaders is all they are going to do is to knock ppl down!
you go girl i think you look fab
i teach a group of young cheerleaders and if they could hear some of you talking well i would be embarssed!!
xx

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hiya! cool picture!!! i also cheerlead for a rugby leauge team... BUT.... i'm all the way over here in England!!! hehe... have you ever heard of the wigan warriors?? anyways cool pic's and nice suits! em xxxx

Hey Flyergrace...is that your team that you have for your Avatar? That is a really good team toe touch!

I LOVE THE BOOTS!

Hey I just suddenly realised who it actually was who started the thread. I was the one who helped you guys out at comp with the flatbacks.

Anyway just wanted to shed some light on cheerleading in Australia particularly for those college cheerleaders who think they are so above everyone else. you guys started somewhere. You had to learn to do a back hanspring or elevator somewhere so don't belittle the people who haven't learnt as much as you.

I coach a high school team in Australia, I also competed in australian comps as a cheerleader my self. I have been in a college team (in Australia that I started up) and an Allstar team. 4 years ago all I knew about cheer was what I had seen on bring it on. In my first 2 years I learnt to base back and fly all girl, and fly coed. and before you say big woop bet all she can do is walk hands... I at least learnt all my coed stuff in 4 months. toss stunts, lib, cupie, scorpion, arabesque. Grin and bear it, ball and chain, half in half out, low lib high lib and tick tocks.
Might not be much to you, but I know a hell of a lot more about cheerleading over here than most people, and being that I've only had that little experience what do you expect from everyone else.

Steps 201 performed a great routine (the team in the pic), and although the level of stunting at comps over here is limited My high school kids (middle school age in the USA) have been cheering for 1 and 1/2 years and they can do full downs, extensions, extended libs, numerous transitions and at least I know they aren't cocky about it.
Another question aer you one of the cheerleaders in ProX cause if your not why post the site. Yeah you might know a lot, but some people have to start somewhere, and over here most teams started as dancers, gymnasts or pro football teams. People can't help where they start all that matters is they do start somewhere and continue to learn.

well said xtreme, you people should give new teams and new teachers a chance, be encouraging.

my daughter teaches a team (she is only 17)and they got 'slagged' off on this site now she wont post anything else, might i say as before she took them to nationals and they came second in their first comp.
My last point is as i said before
'TEAM SPIRIT ' maybe some of you should look it up again just to remind yourselves

proudmum... if you've stepped off you soapbox, I'd like to remind you that not all of the Americans were bashing the team. Like myself, I was merely pointing out how retro the boots are to us, I NEVER said the team was not good. Props to them for doing well at competition, and I'm glad they aren't competing in the boots. I still feel that when an American cheerleader looks at those, we feel like it is 3 steps back from all the work we've done to prove we are athletes. Those boots, that pose- they both scream 'Vegas Showgirl' and we've worked so hard to become more then sex icons. I am well aware how far behind the States other coutries are, and I have NEVER said that was a bad thing. You've got to start somewhere, but that still doesn't change how I feel about the boots. I understand where you are coming from, now you need to understand where I am coming from.

Hi opps i am back on my soap box. i did NOT say all americans were slagging off the team, i did NOT say all americans said they were not good, i just said be more encouraging to new teams.

And dont be so patronising! all teams had to start somewhere, or are YOu saying ALL americans started as great cheerleaders fantastic stunters and thoroughly fantastic people NOT.
Check back most of the bad comments ARE from americans, postitive ones from UK and AUS.
jac xx

can i also say i feel sorry for the poor girl who posted this initially, all she said was that here was a pic of her team,

I think your team look fab and if you have a good tiime thats all that matters

Jacxx