A singing session, showcase and competition ready!

With us being in mid competition season, us Firebirds have been fighting for our team in all aspects whether that is helping one another with competition nerves prior to hitting mat, learning the lyrics to our routine to gain optimum performance marks on mat or fighting for a stunt on the competition floor. In this month’s article is all you need to know about what we have been up to in the build-up to competition and how our first competition went as a squad of three teams!

A little bit about this month’s writers – get to know our committee members!

Leonie Wellbeing officers

Hey! My name is Leonie and I am the Wellbeing Officer for the Firebirds.

I’m the person to come to when any member has any concern or worries, and in doing so I do my best to support individuals in whichever way they may need. This is my second year on the Firebirds team. Last year was my first-time trying cheerleading and soon enough I fell in love with the sport! Looking back now, I couldn’t imagine not having cheer in my life. I am also loving
being part of the committee supporting the team in every single way I can.

Adam Team Captain

Hi! I’m Adam and I am this year’s Team Captain of the SGSU Firebirds Heatwave and Ignite
teams.

My responsibilities include alternating between being friendly and welcoming
everyone into the team, to being loud and bossy but overall, I think it’s a good blend 🙂 I’m
very proud of both teams and what we’ve achieved so far together this season, and as
always, I’m proud to be repping the cheer boys! I can’t wait to show you what we have been
up to the past month starting with how to cope with competition nerves.

Coping with Competition Nerves

Even for the most experienced of athletes or performers, a cheer competition can be an
intimidating and an overwhelming environment. Keeping your focus and togetherness as a
team whilst other teams are hitting (or dropping) their stunts, and waves of clashing cheer
music from the comp and warm-up spaces can make it impossible to hear what your
coaches are saying.

It’s difficult to say the least. I think for Firebirds it’s our pre-comp
traditions that ground us. Whether its laying in a circle, eyes closed, and belting out our
cheer music (or at least those lyrics we can make out!), or our tradition of each member of
the team making a promise of something they will do in the routine (e.g. fight for stunts,
scream the counts, make the most ridiculous cheer face), these little things all add up to pull
our focus to where it needs to be. Not with nerves, not with our competitors, and certainly
not to the last time our stunt dropped in training.

Our focus needs to be on each other, and on how hard we’ve worked to get to where we are.

Singing Sessions

In my fresher year as a Firebird, 2021-2022, our coaches – Libby and Naomi – noticed that
our knowledge of our lyrics and our music was lacking, and regionals were only two weeks away. Now I will be the first to admit that cheer music is an acquired taste – or perhaps

I should say, assault on the senses, and until you’ve heard it it’s quite hard to describe!
However, after speaking to Libby I came up with a fun – or at least a ridiculous – training
exercise.

We would perform our cheer music acoustically as a team in training!

I am a graduate medical student here at St. George’s, but in my mis-spent youth I was a musician
and teacher, and I just couldn’t resist. By the end of the session we were already finding
snippets of lyrics to add to our performance, and by regionals we were practically word- perfect (if a little tone-deaf!). I’m delighted to say we’ve carried the tradition over to my season as Team Captain, and I hope singing – or at the very least, shouting – continues to be part and parcel of the competition preparation for years to come!

Inclusivity at cheer and what that means to the Firebirds

Our Firebirds have always had an ethos of inclusivity ingrained within the society. We firmly believe that cheer is a sport that should be accessible to anyone from any background and walks of life and be where people come together to work as a team to perform a work of art! Everyone who tries out for the Firebirds will gain a place on one of our competition
teams, meaning we have a wonderful variety of athletes ranging from complete beginners
to experienced cheerleaders.

It’s amazing to watch beginners grow as athletes and find love and family within the sport. We are also supportive in making sure people feel included and valued, no matter their age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. We recently joined the SGSU Pride society on a social and showed our ally-ship to the LGBTQ+
community.

SGSU Pride society on a social and showed our ally-ship to the LGBTQ+

Our First Competition as a team!

The cheer comp season is officially underway!

We have been working so hard towards completing and perfecting our routines ready to hit the mat at our first competition of the season. For many of our freshers this is their first ever cheer competition and so, a much- anticipated day of nerves and excitement. Full out season has been well in progress, with each team giving it their all at training twice a week, along-side balancing hectic university schedules (that it being also exam season!)
Our first competition of the season was Legacy Just Believe in London’s Copper Box Arena
mid-February.

Our team Heatwave entered the Level 1 co-ed division, Ignite entered the Level 2 co-ed non-tumble division and Inferno entered the Pom division.

Our day started at 10am where we all met at our university Student’s Union to get ready together – heaps of
glitter and lots of hairspray later, we were comp ready to travel to the Copper Box arena in Stratford.

3o athletes on the underground

Traversing the underground with 30+ cheerleaders without anyone getting lost was a challenge – and we definitely turned a few heads on our journey– but it was a fun beginning to what was about to be an incredible day. Our level 2 team Ignite were the first to perform, followed by our level 1 team Heatwave and finally our Pom team Inferno.

Listening to music and visualise the routine

Before the team’s head to comp warm up, we have a team building session where listen to our music and visualise our best routine while we sit eyes closed in a circle, and after this we hype one another up ready for our performance “throwing love” our external coach Naomi
calls it as we shout out each individual and something they do that is impressive. We then move on to comp warm up where we have an opportunity to practice our stunts, warm up jumps and tumbles and do one last full out routine before we hit the mat to show the audience and judges what we are made of.

All our teams did amazing and should be so proud of what we put on the mat; the energy was phenomenal!

Heatwave stunting

Ignite Stunting

Inferno on the way to warm up

Inferno waiting for results

A successful first competition we think.

Now the countdown starts to our next competition Legacy Alpha and Omega held in
Birmingham..

Showcase

Heatwave pictures by Sophia Nasif

Ignited pictures by Sophia Nasif

A couple weeks after comp we also participated in a Showcase hosted by Eternity All-stars, a
club run by our external coach Naomi. This was an amazing opportunity to showcase our
routine to friends and family, but also a chance to practice our upgraded routines in a competition setting ready for nationals in Birmingham! Ignite and Heatwave both performed, alongside Greenwich Mermaids (our fabulous sister team) and three teams from Eternity Allstars.

It was a super fun day and a great opportunity to watch some fab performances and get to know and support the other teams. So with that it’s fair to say the last month was a busy month for us Firebirds, packed with
preparation for Birmingham competition… we look forward to see you in mat at Nationals!

Lots of Firebirds love x

Outside the copper box

We would absolutely recommend Ella to any team!

Welcome back to our article! This month we thought we would share with you, before all the pre-cheer season talk begins, some Firebird memories and throwbacks both on and off mat. As well as this we thought we would keep you up to date on what we have been up to behind the scenes!

We are Lily (President) and Ellie (Inferno Pom Coach) and supporting our team, not just physically through stunting but also emotionally is our main aim. Having all belong to St. Georges University of London, entering medical and healthcare careers can be daunting and full on – and this is where our family like ethos comes in! But this is not a new revolution for us Firebirds, from day dot the Firebirds were cheering for one another in aspects.

So here a little bit of our cheer story… Firebirds were founded initially in April 2009 named under the SU constitution SGUL (St. Georges University of London) Firebirds Cheerleading Squad. Soon after, they came together to compete at their first ever competition, UKCA Cheerleading competition in 2010. This was their first of many big events!

Several years later in 2015 the Firebirds absorbed the gymnastic society and came to form SGSU Cheer and Gym (IG: @SGSUCHEERANDGYM) – this meant the team was now larger and had many more athletes, all with varying skills ready to bring their A-game to the mat.

Season 2016/17 was a big year for the Firebirds, and this is where it got really real. There was a uniform change, and a sponsor came to light (Palmerston Veterinary Group) as well as competing at level 2 for the first ever time! The comp season was on and Firebirds pathway with Legacy competitions soon began. Soon enough, in season 2018/19 Firebird became undefeated securing a bid to Battle of the Championships.

Season 2019/20 soon lapped around, and two competitive cheer squads were formed under the Firebirds, the team grew bigger than ever and or stunt were being thrown across the mat.

A competitive Pom Team soon formed under our formed Pom Coach Ellie Buck in 2020//21, a whole routine was choreographed, and uniforms purchased. The team were competition ready… then Covid struck. The team continued to practise on zoom calls with the hope of eventually competing. They kept morale and team spirit high during the pandemic.

2021/22 was a year for a large Level 1 team – Heatwave was born! Heatwave won the performance award at Legacy Alpha and Omega; they really brought their A-game to the mat to make their name known.

… so that leads us too now. 2022/23 a year that Firebird has been at its largest with a Level 1 (Heatwave) and Level 2 (Ignite) cheer teams and the re-introduction of the pom team (Ignite).

Now for some manifestos and memories from Firebird Alumni:

“Hello! I’m Ellie, Firebirds alumni! I would never have known when joining but the friends I made as a little Firebaby are some of my best friends now, and I know they will be for life! I was part of the Firebirds for 4 years, including a year as Captain and a year as President. I loved being part of the committee, getting into the behind the scenes of how a cheer society runs was amazing, busy, and a couple of years I’ll never forget! It makes me so, so proud to see how much the squad has grown – I can’t believe there’s 3 teams now! It’s lovely to see the same traditions are being upheld, and the teams going from strength to strength, both in terms of technical performance and in friendship. I can’t wait for the team to experience competition season either for the first time or as seasoned cheerleaders, GOOD LUCK FIREBIRDS!” – Ellie Corkerry

“My year as vice cap of the firebirds 2018-2019 was one of my favourites, a day fulfilling years at uni. We were so lucky to have the most incredible dedicated and talented team (as was shown in our undefeated title) and I truly made friends for life. I’m so proud to see what the firebirds have done since and can’t wait to see more in the future 💚💛” – Mary Gare

Hi, my name is Lucy, and I am a flyer on the level 1 team, Heatwave. I first started cheerleading in 2015, and have been with the Firebirds since 2018. I have met the best people over the years, and over our three teams.

I graduated last year in cardiac physiology, and decided that I just love learning, so here I am, back for another two years to do my MSc in sports cardiology. 

I have an immense interest in sports, and was the teams fitness secretary for the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From a fitness sec prospective, the pandemic posed many challenges, as the whole point of the fitness sec is to keep all our teams stamina up, so we’re ready for our competitions, however, there was no face to face communication to be able to build that drive to do so. 

As for our cheer sessions, I remember having to attend them from my kitchen because they were taught from Teams, which as you will all know, is an absolute nightmare to try and teamwork, and build relationships and rapport with the rest of the team from a computer screen. I think that was the biggest challenge for me, and I am very grateful that we are all back together again ready for the best season the Firebirds have had, but we couldn’t do it without our amazing internal and external coaches for all the continuous support.

What has been happening recently?

Inferno, our pom team, visited Brunel as part of their annual showcase. As this was our first time attending, we were incredibly excited. We have not attended before due to clashes with other events so we were thrilled the date worked for Inferno this year. Additionally, this was the first time the team had been on an almost full floor, in their uniforms with a large audience.

The brand-new uniform, which was announced on our Instagram in January, looked showstopping, the gleam and glitter that was viewed with every pirouette, twirl and jump really added to the essence and aesthetic of the routine. The whole team love their gold and black catsuits, paired with the white iridescent accents of poms and bows.

We both suggest you check out the reveal video!

They received such a warm welcome from Brunel and we just want to say a huge thank you for the opportunity. I am very pleased to say they absolutely smashed it, and since, have been making upgrades and cleaning before their competitive debut. It was a learning experience, including the competitive warm up, having a crowd there as well as getting ready with the team. We sadly had an issue with the music volume however in true cheerleading style the crowd clapped every count for the full 2 mins and 15 seconds.

Something we have been working on is our spacing so seeing the depth of a full floor really helped the girls prepare for competition. Comments from the crowd include: “Aren’t they incredible” – we may be bias but we think so! This includes increasing our tricks and skills within the routine, there may be a few lifts!

Heatwave, our level 1 co-ed team, have finished their routine including a sassy dance choreographed by Coach Libby.

They are working so hard in training ready for their first competition 11 feb 2023. As a team made from mainly freshers, they have come so far in only 4 months to have a competitive routine ready. They have fantastic team spirit; cheer really has helped many of the freshers find a sense of family. I know that Lily and I can both agree, Firebirds really do create a family. They have been enjoying sessions on the full floor at UHQ in Morden, it gives the team something to look forward to as their jumps become 2x higher and so do their smiles!

Ignite, our level 2 non-tumbling team, have had the privilege of meeting with End Choreo’s

Ella who choreographed their showstopping dance section to their routine. It is an unbelievably fierce end to their jam-packed routine really bring the sass, power and energy to the mat with both stretches and stunts.

We would absolutely recommend Ella to any team!

The team all travelled to Ella’s Gym located in Croydon, it was great change of scenery and a chance to practice on sprung floor with mirrors so we could really see the visuals that were being crafted.

The session consisted of an energetic warm up and stretch – vital for the routine we were about to learn. Ella demonstrated the routine she had choreographed, and we slowly began to break it down learning each fast moving eight-count in more small sized sections.

Through this we perfected each count, accentuated the formation and Ella was extraordinary at adapting to the teams’ strengths and talents.

Differentiating levels and heights also added to the effect! As a team we all worked hard to clean the routine and to ensure we would do both Ella and our coach Libby proud at our upcoming competitions. To any cheer teams we highly recommend Ella as a choreographer if you are hoping to really bring the energy and sass to the floor to gain top marks on mat!

This week the squad have a showcase for their friends and family within our sports hall. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the team to warm up and bring the heat before the weekends competition Legacy Just Believe. I know the whole team cannot wait to show off their routines on home soil before heading on the tube to Stratford. We are hoping for a large turnout, including the other St George’s societies to be in attendance, the atmosphere will be buzzing!

We are sending the best of luck to the Firebird squad before their first competition in the Copper Box Arena next weekend. Legacy competitions are always incredible, such enthusiasm and community from the whole team. We have been warming up our Wobble ready to hit the competition floor!

Lots of love,

Ellie and Lily x

A Month Of 1st’s for The Firebirds

The first external training session for Heatwave & Ignite and the first showcase for Inferno as well as a surprise for the team!

Hello!

We are Emily (this year’s Treasurer) and Megan (this year’s Secretary) and it is our second year on the Firebirds team for both of us!

Emily Treasure and Megan secretary

Here is a little insight into what are job roles consist of and how we support the team through these committee positions:

The role of a treasurer is to manage the clubs’ finances, so I collect subs from all athletes and then go on to spend it on exciting things such as bows, uniforms, and training for the team. The role of a Secretary involves a lot of organisation and admin tasks such as planning committee meetings and recording anything discussed so we as a committee can support the team to our full extent.    

Catch up with what us Firebirds have been up to recently!

Each training season, the Firebirds team has the opportunity to go to an external training venue as our university gym does not have a full-sized sprung floor. Therefore, we go to Unity HQ (UHQ), a large gym with sprung floor and tumble tracks specifically set up and kitted out for cheerleaders. We go there on average about once a month from December to March so we can gain full exposure to how the routine may feel at competition. There we get to do our full outs and perform to our full extent!!

We went to our first session at UHQ on the 11^th of December.

It is always so intimidating going there and watching all the all-star teams training.

The UHQ sessions are very intense, we don’t often get long on the mat and therefore we have to make the most of the time we have.

This first session of the season at UHQ always feels very hectic, as for many of our athletes it is their first opportunity to run the routine on a full-sized sprung floor. However, it is so amazing to see the progress and hard work finally coming together.

The growth of the team really comes to light at this point in the season, all the effort put in by our coach Libby and external coach Naomi definitely does not go unnoticed. Going to UHQ creates a real buzz within the teams and is a chance to really show everyone’s full abilities and talent. It is also a great chance for both teams to support each other and really bring the atmosphere and mat talk alive!

The main goal for our first session was perfecting the spacing of our routine. Starting with the opening section, working through main stunt, jumps through to tumbles for our tumble Level 1 team Heatwave and then onto the all-time favourite yet energy demanding – pyramid.

It is a very meticulous process but so important to ensure each section flows effortlessly into the next with the hope the overall visual appearance and aesthetic will wow the audience and judges. At this point in the season, we do not have our dance section yet, but once that is choreographed, we would also need to sort spacing for it. We were given our music the Thursday before UHQ which is SO EXCITING because it meant we got to do run throughs with our very own music meaning we could really bring the enthusiasm and energy to the floor – the feeling was electric.

For a few of the team members that cross over onto both Level 1 and Level 2 teams (known as “crossovers”) the three-hour UHQ session is really tough and strenuous. It is very physically demanding but is also so rewarding to see the progress and development of both teams who are being equally challenged in both levels for different reasons. Both of us are crossovers, Megan as a flyer on both teams and Emily as a base for Level 2 and a back spot for Level 1. We can both agree that each team has its challenges but when it comes to solving these challenges everyone remains on board with the main target which is perfecting the routine to put on a great show.

Both of us started with Firebirds last year and we can already see the massive amount of progress between this time last year and this year. We can vividly remember our first UHQ with Heatwave last year and feeling so lost and underprepared but this year it has been so much better. The stunts we are putting forward this year are far more complex and yet are being picked up much quicker and efficiently than last year’s easier stunts. We are also honoured enough as to have some ex-Firebirds return for this season which is so exciting to see.

Here are some testimonies from Myah (Level 1 Base) and Georgia (Level 2 Backspot) so you can get an insight into what being on the Firebirds teams are really like:

Myah

“I’m Myah, I study Paramedic Science and I am a fresher base in the Firebirds Level 1 stunt team. For me, I found the first UHQ training session really exciting as I had never performed on a sprung floor before – it was definitely a weird feeling. The session was about allowing us as a team to make sure that our spacing and stunts were correct on the larger floor. As well as giving us a chance to get a feel for how each of the sections would look through marking routines as well as full outs, especially now that we know what music that the routine will be to. It was also really nice to train somewhere other than uni as a team, it definitely made the thought of performing in competitions in 2023 more real!”

– Myah Paramedic Science first year

Georgia

“Hi, I’m Georgia a first-year Paramedic Science student. In December I joined the rest of the Firebirds for our first UHQ training session this year. Initially it was very daunting to try and work out things such as spacing in this session on the different mats but as a team we all joined together to get there. It was amazing to be able to finally start to see the routine start to come together even more and to be on a sprung floor! Training in this session made me even more excited for the season ahead of us and to see us all continue to work together and build on the friendships already made!”

Georgie Paramedic Science first year

New Pom Uniforms for Inferno and an upcoming showcase!

The pom team Inferno has also been doing some incredible things. The team will be going to a showcase at the end of January to show off all the skills they have developed so far and their incredible routine choreographed by their coach Ellie Buck. Before Christmas, the girls all received a huge surprise which greeted them at the start of their penultimate session before Christmas… an arrangement of glimmer and glitter was placed in a heart shape on the floor. You guessed it, their uniform and bows for the season were ready!

We cannot wait to see Ellie’s vision of the routine executed onto a large floor and brought to light by the pom girls. We are sending all the Firebird love to the floor for their upcoming performance.

 Here is a testimony from Alice on her time on the pom team so far.

Alice

“Hi, my name is Alice and I am a third-year Paramedic student. Taking up pom has been a fun challenge for me as I wanted to try a style of cheer more similar to dance. Since October we have learnt how to turn, jump and definitely bring the sass. Building on our routine each week brings a lot of fast paced choreography, but we can look back and feel proud of how far we’ve come since week one.” – Alice

Alice Third -year Paramedic

As you can see our busy cheer life means our Christmas break is well deserved but we are so excited to come back in January and work towards the best routine for competition season. We cannot wait to show you what else we get up to in the upcoming months as competition season gets closer day by day.

Until next month guys

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Get to know SGSU Firebirds!

Hello, we are St George’s Firebirds! We’re the UK’s only Healthcare Specialist University Cheer Team.

As a healthcare university we pride ourselves on the following strong values, running throughout our three
teams, which embraces inclusivity, familism and teamwork.

This year our Pom Team, Inferno and Level 2 non-tumble team, Ignite, united with our original Level 1
tumble team Heatwave. All these teams are set to compete this season on mat – it’s a big year of growth
for the Firebirds.
Each month two committee members from SGSU Firebirds will write the monthly diary entries to ensure
you are kept up to date on what the Firebirds have been up to!
So, without further ado let’s get to know the Firebirds 22/23 committee.

To start our first diary entry, we thought after you have got to know the committee what better way to introduce you to the team by us telling you about what we as Firebirds are all about and recent events we have been up to!

The SGSU Firebird committee 2022-2023

Lily

Hi, I am Lily and I am the Firebirds President this season. I began my cheerleading journey two years ago
when I joined a varsity team in my hometown after giving up acrobatic gymnastics which I had
competed in from the age of four. I decided it was time to try something new. As I joined university
away from home, I wanted to continue my fitness and exercise and was instantly, having also been a
dancer, drawn to the idea of cheerleading. Soon seniors on the team took me under their wing and
supported me not only through cheerleading by also academically and this resulted in me making some
of my best friends through the Firebirds. Being in my second year of university and studying Therapeutic
Radiography cheer is very important to me as it is a way, I can rest from studying and find time to
socialize. I am very excited and honored to be Firebirds President this season with our team growing this
year to me it’s important we remain just as close as a team and the bonds between the teams remain.
Supporting each other not only physically through cheering but also mentally is very important to us
Firebirds. Bring on season 22/23!

Adam

Hi! My name is Adam, and I am the Captain of The SGSU Firebirds. I am a 3rd-year medical student here
at St. George’s, and the experience of training and performing with this group of inspiring women and
men has been unbelievable. No matter your age, gender, style, skills – this team has created an
environment where everyone can express themselves and show what they’re made of. It’s my job to
help boost our athlete’s confidence in themselves, focus their efforts and attention during training, and
help our coaches get their vision for the team across. This is only my second year in Cheer, so it’s a huge
privilege to be part of the team and I’m excited for what we can achieve this competition season.

Libby

Hi everyone! I’m Libby and I’m the head cheer coach (I oversee Heatwave and Ignite). This is my 3rd year
coaching for Firebirds, and I really think this is going to be our best season yet!
Alongside coaching our lovely cheer teams, I also study medicine and am in my 4th year.
I have previously competed as an allstar cheerleader for nearly a decade with ICE athletics and Unity
Allstars, but have taken a step back as an athlete this season to focus more on coaching!
My goal for this season is to give both of my teams exciting and visually pleasing routines to make the
crowd say “wow”. The level of talent we have on our cheer teams is higher than we have ever seen, and
I am so excited to see what they can achieve!

Ellie

Hello, my name is Ellie I am a final year medical student. I am the Head Coach of Inferno, our pom team.
My role includes choreographing a routine, leading training sessions as well as designing bows and
uniforms. I have been part of the Firebirds since I started at St George’s (6 wonderful years ago). I have
also been part of committee for 4 of these years including roles such as the president and treasurer. I
love this team, and the family I have found and I’m so excited to spend my final year coaching. This is
Inferno’s first competitive season, and I want our debut to be flaming hot and to finish my Firebird
career with a bang! I’m so proud of how the Firebirds have grown over the past six years and I’m proud
to be part of that journey by introducing Inferno to the cheer community!

Emily

Heya, my name is Emily, I am a 3rd year Bsc Biomedical science student and I’m the treasurer for the
Firebirds this year. My role is taking care of anything to do with money, including collecting subs and
paying for merch and uniforms. This is only my second year on the team but I absolutely love it, it really
is like having a family away from home. I am on the Level 1 team as the shortest back spot and the Level
2 team as a base. This season I’m hoping to win a few competitions but more importantly to put out the
best routine on the mat that we can. I want to walk off the mat and feel proud of our achievement as a
team.

Megan

Hi I’m Megan and I’m a third year medical student. I am the secretary for this year and it’s my second
year as part of the Firebird family!
My role as secretary includes a lot of organization and admin tasks such as planning committee
meetings and keeping note of anything discussed. I can’t wait to see what this new year brings for us as
a committee and team.
This year I am a flyer for both the level 1 and level 2 teams which is a huge privilege. This year especially
I can really see the determination and strength from everyone on the team and I can’t wait to have the
best season yet! My goal for this season is to continue making the society feel inclusive and welcoming
to all members, Firebirds have really shaped my time at uni and I hope I can do the same back.

Aurora

Hi my name’s Aurora and I am a 1st year BSc Clinical Pharmacology student, and I am the Assistant
Coach for Firebirds this year. In this role I help teach the team new skills and give ideas to help and
support with the choreography.
I have previously competed at Kobika star lites, TCA, Chiltern Cheetahs and am currently a member of
Unity allstars Smoke (level 4 NT) and am excited to start coaching.
This is my first year on Firebirds and also on the committee and I am already loving it. As this is my first
season coaching my goal is to make sure everyone becomes the best cheerleaders they can be, have fun
and maybe even bring home a win.

Isobel

Hi my name’s Izzy. After being made to feel so welcome into the Firebirds last season I returned to the
team this year as one of the Social Secretaries to help build bonds within the team with fun socials. I
hope the friendships created at these events will help us put out an amazing performance at comp
where everyone enjoys themselves and smashes their routine.

Lauren

Hi I’m Lauren and I’m one of the social secs. Along with another social sec, we put on socials every week
to help bring all three teams together and for everyone to have a bit of fun. I am a second year med and
this is my second year on the team This year I hope all teams form life long friendships through cheer
and the socials and allow the team to grow stronger so we can all put our best performances out at
completions.

Leonie

Hey, my name is Leonie and I am the Wellbeing Officer for the Firebirds. I’m the person to turn to when
someone in the society has a problem or any worries. I aim to be someone to listen and support each
member of the team whenever they need. This is my second year with the firebirds, and my second-year
cheering (my background is gymnastics). I am a base and tumbler on the level 1 team and love it! This
year I want to help perform the best possible routine we can and to make some amazing memories
together as a team.

Veronika

Hey my name is Veronika and this year I am the Fitness Secretary for the Firebirds. I am a second year
uni student studying BSc Clinical Pharmacology, meaning it’s my second year with the Firebirds and my
first year on committee.
My role is to work in partnership with our lovely Gymnastics Secretary to ensure our teams are
competition ready with their skills! We hold a weekly additional training session where all 3 teams are
welcome and this makes a great environment to meet other teammates that you perhaps wouldn’t see
as much otherwise.
So far we have focused on stamina, strength and conditioning in jumps, and flexibility. We have also
held some fun themed sessions. One example was our joint yoga session with the Football society!
My goal for this year is for all our teams to smash their routines on the comp floor and hit ZERO. I want
everyone to walk off knowing they did their utmost best and possibly even take home a win!

Simona

Hey my name is Simona! I’m a 2nd paramedic science student and I am the Gymnastics sec this year for
the SGSU firebirds. In my role I work closely with the fitness sec to ensure the team has the best fitness
level and gymnastics technique possible for competitions. This is only my second year on the team but
the firebirds are just like family and made me feel welcome from day one. This year for the team I would
love to see more team members finding their confidence with tumbling and improving our stamina so
we can smash out our routines and hopefully hit zero on the comp floor!

Mae

Hello! My name is Mae, I’m a final year medical student. I am the tour secretary this year. I am
responsible for organizing tour and making sure everyone has an amazing time when we’re away!
I have been on the team for all my 6 years at university. This year I really want to make sure this tour is
one to remember.
Being part of the society has really made my time at university such an incredible, accepting and happy
experience. Full of incredible friendships and good times. I know when I go to training my day will be a
little bit brighter and for that I’m always grateful.

Who we are and what we are all about!

With the start of the season kicking off with many socials and chances for the teams to get to know one another our amazing social secretaries Isobel Preece and Lauren Body have written our December diary entry.

Hi, we are Isobel and Lauren, and we are this year’s Social Secretaries!

Right from the start Firebirds have been built on the mindset of inclusivity, with this being written in to the constitution and that everyone who tries-out, makes a team.

The team has a large age range with the university consisting of 30% graduates with our teams’ ages ranging from 18 to 30 years old. Furthermore, both Heatwave and Ignite are co-ed teams and consist of students taking a wide range of courses within healthcare including Medicine, Paramedic Science, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomedicine, Therapeutic Radiography, Diagnostic Radiography and Physiotherapy.

In addition, our committee consists of members from First to Fifth Year, so we can be sure that the entire team’s voice is heard and appreciated.

Teamwork plays an obvious role in all cheerleading teams, but Firebirds go further by extending beyond the mat. We not only support each other through training and stunts but also academically and emotionally.

Our mat talk isn’t just exclusive to the gym and instead is projected through all aspects of our life, socials and our degrees. It’s also reflected in our academic performance with all Firebirds excelling on and off the mat.

As a team when it comes so getting support from our student union given that we are one of the biggest societies at St.Georges our SU pay a portion of our costs and as well as this promotes us on their website and social media.

Family and belonging are the pinnacle of SGULs values and is mirrored by us as Firebirds.

Our university has a scheme in which First Year students (Fresher’s) are taken under the wings of senior Firebird students within a family program.

The family Turner was founded by our devoted Pom Coach, Ellie Buck, and all aspiring Firebirds are adopted in concordance. This has been extremely well received with First Year students quoting Turner and the Firebirds family as their main line of support throughout any struggles during university. 

In Freshers’ week, a social event is held within each family encouraging bridges to form between family members – something attributed to our unbreakable bonds.

With the three teams, naturally there are different training times and speculation may allude to divides, however, we ensure weekly socials are maintained, where the entire Firebirds family can gather and get to know one another in more depth.

One of our most treasured socials this year had been pub golf. This is an annual classic occasion where all of the team gets together for some friendly competition. A special shout-out goes to the winners this year! Other socials of note have been UH night where all London medical school sports teams get paired-up and go for a curry, then eventually ending the night at Clapham’s renowned ‘Infernos’ club. This year we were lucky enough to be paired with Kings College London’s cricket team and Imperial College’s tennis team.

A new addition to this years’ calendar was the Pride Circles event. This was such a fun and enjoyable event and we are so incredibly proud of how many people came to support this activity. Other events included Halloween Sharks and Lifeguard’s Circles and 101 Dalmatian’s Fresher’s Circles which started the academic year off and was a great way to get to know members of the team.

We also organize non-drinking socials as we recognize not everything needs to revolve around alcohol and making sure everyone has the opportunity to be involved, our most recent event has been our annual Christmas dinner, which was great fun to enjoy together.

Until next month guys

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Dealing with an Overwhelming Schedule

We’re currently in that weird warp where December seems to be over in a blink, which is weirdly
followed by January which seems to go on forever. When life seems to be going a million miles an
hour, it can feel difficult to manage which can make us feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Some of us may be balancing work, study, family commitments, health issues, social lives and of course cheer.
And when it comes to cheer it’s not just turning up for an hour a week, it’s the travel to and from,
we could be coaching too, additional classes, socials, comps. It’s a lot!

Sometimes when things feel overwhelming, we look to see what we can give up. We can’t stop working, we can’t stop our family
commitments, so we sometimes turn to cheer. But usually, that first thing we think to give up on is
the thing that helps us get by.

Cheer can definitely add to the stress sometimes, I know that, but cheerleading, sport, and physical activity can be a great source of comfort for our wellbeing. The very act of physical activity can help our body’s let loose, deal with the stress, and also provides
those feel good endorphins that make things feel that bit better.

If you’ve been feeling this way, you’re not a terrible person, you’re not terribly disorganised and
you’re certainly not alone. Life has a (not so) funny way of throwing curveballs just when we need
them the least. I’m a big list person, and when things got too heavy for me, I wrote a list of all the
responsibilities I had. From work, uni, my dog, wedding planning, cheer, other hobbies, writing blog
articles, family, social life, the lot. Once I wrote them all out and saw in black and white what I was
juggling, I realised it was quite a long list.

Then, when I showed it to someone close to me who was somewhat objective, they were able to see it differently to me and said it was just too much.

Photo by SHVETS production on Pexels.com

What I did next, was rank these responsibilities as the negotiables, and the non-negotiables.

The non-negotiables for me were things like my job and caring for my dog. These are the things that you
absolutely cannot live without. If I quit my job, I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills, or pay for anything
else on the list. Another example could be looking after family if you have caring needs. It’s difficult
to list examples, because I imagine this will be so different for everyone.

Photo by Ivan Samkov on Pexels.com

I then had two levels of negotiables.

Firstly, were the negotiables where I have a responsibility and
most likely deadlines to adhere to (like being on a cheer team, wedding planning, university). And
the final category is the slightly more negotiable-negotiables. These were things like my social life.
Whilst having a social life is important for a number of reasons, this, for me, is the easiest thing to
drop without repercussions. Again, this will be different for everyone.

I’m getting dizzy with the number of times I’ve used the word “negotiable”, but basically, I ranked all
my responsibilities to the most important to potentially the least. Now that list might change
depending on what time of year it is, what time in the season it is, and generally what you have
going on at any one time. The ranking was really tricky, and it felt really uncomfortable. As we know,
sometimes it’s the most uncomfortable things in life that help us grow the most. Alongside ranking
them by importance, I then did a second list ranking them on the amount of time I currently put
towards each of those responsibilities. Realistically you would think the most important has the
most time spent on it, and the least important has the least time spent on it. But what you realise in
doing this task is that it’s usually the things in the middle that take up the most of your time, or you
spend most your time on. And that can sometimes be why life feels so unmanageable, because the
things that are most important in your life, or the non-negotiables, aren’t getting enough time to be
satisfied. If you don’t already use a diary, it can be an absolute game changer. Again, it helps to block
out your time using different colours for different responsibilities. That’ll give you a good idea again
how much time you’re spending on each of your responsibilities and if it’s reflective of what’s truly
required.

Photo by Liza Summer on Pexels.com

I’d invite you to try this out if you haven’t already. At the very least it’ll help you understand just how
many responsibilities you have and may help you give yourself a break. If you really are doing too
much, it might be time to let go of something. Everything might seem super important, but what’s
most important is you, your health and your wellbeing. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Looking
after number one isn’t selfish, it’s actually selfless. Think about it. If you’re so stressed both
emotionally and physically (because it’ll likely start showing physically), you can’t be there for
others. The only way to be there for the people in your life that may depend on you, is to make sure
you’re looking after yourself first.

If you do lead a busy life, you might want to try and reduce your decision-making. What on earth do I
mean by this?

Well, we only have a finite number of decisions we can make each day before we start
to feel overwhelmed.

Now I go a bit overboard with this, but I make decisions for myself way in
advance so there are some decisions I don’t even think about making anymore.

Firstly, I made a monthly rolling meal plan. I have a 28-day meal plan where I have 28 different dishes (sounds a lot,
but it’s not really) that I’m going to make for tea each day.

I then make enough to have for lunch the next day (I say “I”, it’s usually my partner). This reduces planning of those shopping trips because I
don’t need to think about what I’m going to cook and therefore what I need to buy. I have a similar
plan for my working outfits. I have about 15 outfits (again, sounds a lot, but a lot of these outfits can
be worn in and out of work, include casual, business-casual and formal/social outfits). Each outfit I
put on a hanger in my wardrobe, including underwear to go along with it. When I wake up in the
morning I pick the hanger at the front, and the hanger goes at the back of the rotation at the end of
the day (even if the clothes on the hanger go in the wash). People often look at me like I’m crazy
when I tell them. But I love all my clothes, I don’t own any I don’t like, so I’ll always like my outfit.
And the food plan, I like all the meals in the plan, so I’ll never be disappointed.

Photo by Ella Olsson on Pexels.com

Whenever I start getting stressed and things start piling up and I’m feeling like I’m drowning, I think
about how many decisions I’m making a day. 9 out of 10 times when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’ve
usually let my meal plan or my outfit plan slip, or both. And that’s not to say either one of those is
the reason why I’m stressed, but potentially those extra decisions have amplified everything I have
going on at that moment in time. And I’m not saying these are the keys to success, planning every
aspect of your life to a tee, but have a think if there is anything in your life like this that you could
pre-plan. It might not be having a full month’s meal plan, but how about a week’s worth of meal
planning? You might not want to have a weird outfit plan like me, but you could potentially plan
your outfits out for the week ahead. There may well be other aspects of your life you think you could
bulk plan in advance. It might seem like a big task to begin with, but overtime you’ll save yourself
time, stress and decisions.

Another activity which is always good to do this time of year is a vision board.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

If you’re not sure what one is, search it on Pinterest for inspiration or YouTube on how to create one. You can create it with
print outs, online, I’ve even heard of people using them as their screensavers – which have shown to
be really effective. They can be created for each year, 5 years, or 10 years. They’re primarily used for
goal setting, but this can be really helpful to understand your priorities. And once you know what
your goals and priorities are, it’ll help you manage your time and split it accordingly.
I love the phrase, “learn to rest not to quit”. Sometimes things get too much so you need a break.
That doesn’t always mean you should quit, especially if it’s something that brings you joy. Often, it’s
that joy, or the small wins that make you smile during the fog of overwhelm. So, if things are really
getting too much, how about taking a break first, before cutting it out completely? However,

sometimes we do need to take a step away from the things we love. That doesn’t mean you don’t
appreciate that experience. You can absolutely love everyone involved, but it might just be the thing
that’s tipping you over the edge. Those decisions are the absolute hardest.

The first thing is being completely honest with yourself. Some of the activities above may help. Next, you need to be
completely honest with whoever or whatever it is you’re stepping away from. One of the reasons it’s
hard to step away is likely because you feel like you’re letting someone down by stepping away.
Perhaps because you really value this person, they really value you, or hopefully both. But if this
person really cared about you, which I hope they do, they’ll understand that you have to put
yourself first.
Health is wealth people!

One last thing I think is important to remember, is that you never have to go through this alone.

When things creep up on us like this, and it’s difficult to manage your time, talking it through with a trusted friend, family member or even colleague can really help. They can give you that objective opinion and see things differently to you. If you’re surrounded by the right people, they will likely have an idea of what is best for you also.

If you don’t feel like you have anyone to speak to, how about a coach or member of staff at your programme? Is there someone at work you can speak to, a supervisor or manager?

These are things I always talk about in my supervision sessions or meetings with my manager. It might not always be completely work related, but what’s going on in my outside
life will likely affect my work – so it’s all relative. If you find it easier speaking to a stranger, there are
definitely organisations that are ready and waiting to speak to you.

The Mix are great if you’re under 25, Shout are fab, and the Samaritans. Don’t ever think you’re not “bad enough” to receive support.

Preventative steps are always much better than reactive action.

These people and organisations can give you objective, confidential and non-judgemental advice.

From personal experience, as well as working on a Helpline myself, this advice and time can be invaluable.
I really hope you got something out of this article.

The holiday season comes with a number of
stresses and added tasks. But this is relevant throughout the year also. Just remember, the rain can’t
last forever.

Sometimes it’s those difficult decisions that give us the freedom and time we need to
look after ourselves.

However you’re spending the holidays, whether you celebrate or not, I’m sending lots of peace, love
and health your way.
Take care,
Rach x

Written by Rachel

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Ella from Endchoreo helps athletes and coaches achieve their cheer and dance dreams.

Hi, guys this year CFHTT we are honoured to collaborate again with Ella from Endchoreo. Ella

is one of the sponsors of The diary of a university Cheerleader competition. 

Ella choreographed the dance routine for the winner of the diary of a University cheerleader

The Bedfordshire Bulls.

It was an honour to have Ella be a part of the university project. 

Who is Ella Dolcey?

Ella, has a passion for all things cheer and dance and has 15+ years of

experience within this industry. Ella has progressed from an athlete, to a coach of both Allstar and University cheerleading and now is the Gym owner and Head Coach of Crystal Elite.

Ella is also a decorated Cheerleading and Dance judge for multiple UK EPs and is owner of the Cheer Consultancy brand ENDchoreo.

Wow, that’s quite a cv 

CFHTT wanted to know the women behind Crystal Elite and ENDchoreo and to better understand what has made her a fundamental part of the UK cheer community.

 How did you start cheerleading? 

I began dance at the age of 4 and gymnastics at the age of 10. In my first week of Secondary school, I saw a bulletin board advertising cheerleading and given my previous sporting experience and that one of my favourite films was ‘Bring it on,’ I decided to attend the tryouts.

From there, I made the team and participated in weekly 90 minute classes. At this time cheerleading did not have the current numbered level system, but rankings such as Novice were utilised. We competed at the intermediate level (mixing skills from level 2-3) and when we hit stunts such as extended libs we were pumped!

After two seasons, this school team progressed into an Allstar programme, with other affiliated schools and additional athletes being introduced and I trained on various teams within this programme, on a weekly to monthly basis, in various locations, within London and the South East. A highlight from earliest days of cheerleading was being able to compete in America.

Post America, this programme closed down and given that I now had fallen in love with the sport, I joined Crystals Elite and after being an athlete for a season, I was asked to be a coach for the mini teams.

From here, I left for Loughborough University and was on the All girl Level 4 team in my first year, then an athlete and coach of this same team and their other competitive teams, in my second through to fourth year.  

Throughout university, I kept in touch with Crystals Elite Coaches and after gaining my Masters Degree, they asked if I would be returning to London and if I wanted to coach.

I of course said yes and from there progressed into my role as the Gym Owner and Head Coach.

How did ENDchoreo start?

There are multiple different aspects of our Sport which can be hard to navigate and some of these include, choreographing sections of a routine and understanding the scoresheet.

Prior to ENDchoreo, I was helping some of my industry friends in an unofficial capacity on these elements. But with more time made available within the pandemic, I decided to officially launch. I am often asked how did I come up with the name and simply END is an Acronym for my full name.

Ella from Endchoreo working with 2021 CFHTT winner of The Diary Of A University Cheerleader team the Bedfordshire Bulls cheerleader

What Services does ENDchoreo provide?

I provide a variety of services depending on what the Coach, team, or programme needs. These could be virtual elements, such as routine reviews or Coaches’ Consults. Or these could be in person ENDchoreo Camps.

Within an ENDchoreo camp, I may upgrade a routine that a coach has already choreographed or create and teach an entire routine from start to finish.

Within these both, I will examine what can the team already do well and then I will create elements that can help the team to better hit the scoresheet, such as advancing the degree of difficulty on building and tumbles, or adding in unique transitional elements and choreography.

Then, I run skills camps across both Cheer and Dance, whether it’s on Elite stunts within a certain level, tumble skills such as whips and layouts, or dance styles such as pom or associated technical elements, such as Leaps and turns. 

Overall, through ENDchoreo I really try and understand what the client is looking to achieve when they get into contact with me. I draw upon on my time spent as an athlete, coach and judge, take into consideration the ever present changes within our industry and from there create something that will enable the recipient to have learnt something new or aided progression.

What your ultimate goal with judging?

I have been fortunate to judge for various UK EPs for multiple seasons and have progressed to both a Head Judge, plus Judging and Scoring manager and the next step is to judge for more international EPs.

What tips would you give to coaches who find scoresheets very confusing?

Scoresheets can prove challenging as there are various changes each season and they may differ between EPs. To combat this, ask for help! There are often affordable courses which discuss elements of the scoresheets, these have been made more accessible recently, as many are now virtual and they can provide great insight.

If people want to contact you, how can they do so?

I can be reached via email endchoreo@gmail.com or on the social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram) via my handle @endchoreo

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Competition for 2022-2023 cheer season

–

2nd	October	2022	ICE	Dance Fusion	The john Bunyan centre NK429TS	Bedfor­­­d ­
5th – 6th	November	2022	Cheer City	Autumn Adventure	Fenton Manor	Stoke­- on Trent
6th DANCE	November	2022	ICE	Dance Fever	The hub college	West Midlands
20th	November	2022	Future Cheer	Jungle Fever	Bolton Arena	Bolton
20th	November	2022	Soar			Glasgow
26th Summit bids available: up to 5 Dance and up to 5 Cheer bids	November	2022	Future Cheer	FC Brings it On: Festive	Disneyland Paris	Paris
27th	November	2022	ICE	Dance Fury	Ebbw Vale Sport centre NP236GL	Ebbw Vale
3rd – 4th	December	2022	Future Cheer	Winter Wonderland	Essex University	Colchester
10th – 11th	December	2022	ICE	Christmas ICE Breaker	Fenton Manor	Stoke on Trent
10th – 11th	December	2022	Cheer City	Frost Festival	Kettering Arena	Kettering
10th – 11th	December	2022	BCA	Winter Weekender	Winter Gardens Blackpool	Blackpool
14th Levels 1-3 only, all dance divisions	January	2023	Future Cheer	FC Essentials	K2 Leisure Centre	Crawley
21st – 22nd	January	2023	DC12	Neon	Eikon Exhibition Centre	Northern Ireland
28th – 29th	January	2023	ICC	Northen Championships	BEC	Manchester
28th – 29th	January	2023	BCA	Super Classic	University Arena, Worcester	Worcester
4th – 5th	February	2023	Legacy	Stand Strong	Northumbria University Sports Central, NE1 8ST	Newcastle Upon Tyne
4th – 5th	February	2023	ICC	Southern Championships	Guilford Spectrum	Guildford
4th – 5th	February	2023	Cheer City	Winter Spectacular	Warwick University	Warwick
5th	February	2023	Cheer City	University Showdown	Warwick University	Warwick
11th –	February	2023	ICC	Western Cheer & Dance	Bath & West Show ground	Shepton
11th – 12th	February	2023	ICE	Frost Fest	Antrim Forum	Northern Ireland
11th – 12th	February	2023	Legacy	Just Believe	Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 3HB	London
18th	February	2023	Future Cheer	Heart of England	Manchester Central	Manchester
19th	February	2023	Future Cheer	University Nationals	Manchester Central	Manchester
24th	February	2023	BCA	Scottish Sensation	SEC Armadillo Glasgow	Scotland
25th	February	2023	ICC	Eastern Championships	Peterborough Arena	Peterborough
25th – 26th	February	2023	DC12	DC12 Presents: Crusade	Hull, East Yorkshire	North England
25th – 26th	February	2023	Cheer City	Spring Open	Leicester Arena	Midlands
4th – 5th	March	2023	Soar			Edinburgh
4th – 5th	March	2023	Jamfest	Northern Jam		Blackpool
4th – 5th	March	2023	Future Cheer	Circus Spectacular	EIS Sheffield	Sheffield
11th – 12th	March	2023	BCA	University Nationals	University arena Worcester	Worchester
11th – bid only event	March	2023	BCA	BCA dance World show down	University arena Worcester	Worchester
18th – 19th	March	2023	Future Cheer	Spotlight Showdown	K2 Leisure Centre	Crawley
18th – 19th	March	2023	ICE	Spring Thaw Out	Ebbw Vale Sports Centre	Ebbw Vale
18th – 19th	March	2023	Legacy	Dream Extreme + Alpha & Omega	Resorts World Arena, B40 1PU	Birmingham
25th – 26th	March	2023	ICC	British Open & University Nationals	Motorpoint Arena	Nottingham
25th – 26th	March	2023	Cheer City	Allstars Championship	Nottingham Wildcats Arena	Nottingham
1st – 2nd	April	2023	DC12	DC12 Presents: APEX – Nationals 2023	Motorpoint aera	Wales
1st – 2nd	April	2023	BCA	Spring Spirit	K2 Crawley	Crawley
1st 1st Summit bids available: up to 5 Dance and up to 5 Cheer bids	April	2023	Future Cheer	FC Amsterdam		Amsterdam
15-16th	April	2023	Future Cheer	FC Adventure in Atlantis		Milton Keynes
8th – 9th	April	2023	DC12	DC12 Presents: IllusionMighty Regionals	Glasgow Royal concert hall	Glasgow
6th – 7th	May	2023	Future Cheer	Gateway to the Galaxy	EIS Sheffield	Sheffield
13th – 14th	May=	2023	Cheer City	Summer Showdown	Warwick University	Warwick
13th – 14th	May	2023	ICE	ICE Blast	K2 Leisure Centre	Crawley
21st	May	2023	ICE	Let’s Dance	Ebbw Vale Sports Centre	Ebbw Vale
20th – 21st	May	2023	Cheer City	Summer Games	Hertfordshire Sports Village	Hertfordshire
27-28th Summit bids available: up to 5 Dance and up to 5 Cheer bids	May	2023	Future Cheer	Superhero Spirit	Braehead	Glasgow
27th – 28th bid event	May	2023	BCA	Allstar Nationals	Telford international	Telford
27th-28th Free bid only event	May	2023	BCA	Champions Challenge	Telford international	Telford
27th – 28th	May	2023	ICE	Summer Meltdown	Doncaster Dome	Doncaster
3- 4th	June	2023	BCA	BCA Summer spotlight	Sport central Newcastle	Newcastle
24th – 25th	June	2023	BCA	BCA Summer showdown	Meadowbank Sport centre	Edinburgh
3rd Summit bids available: up to 5 Dance and up to 5 Cheer bids	June	2023	Future Cheer	FC Barcelona	Barcelona
3rd – 4th	June	2023	DC12	DC12 Presents: Fiesta	NAEC Stoneleigh	Kenilworth
10th	June	2023	Future Cheer	Into the Future	Brighton Centre	Brighton
10-11th	June	2023	ICE	ICE big chill	Bush field leisure centre	Peterborough
10th – 11th	June	2023	Legacy	Live your Legacy	Resorts World Arena, B40 1PU	Brimingham
10th – 11th	June	2023	ICC	Southern Jam	Guilford Spectrum	Guildford
10th – 11th	June	2023	ICE	The Big Chill	Bushfield Leisure Centre	Peterborough
16th – 18th	June	2023	Jamfest	Jamfest Europe	Exhibition Centre	Liverpool
17th – 18th	June	2023	ICE	Sub Zero	Ravenscraig	Scotland
24th – 25th	June	2023	ICE	ICE Championships	Fenton Manor	Stoke on Trent
23rd	June	2023	Future Cheer	FC school out for summer	BIC	Bournemouth
23-25th	June	2023	Future Cheer	FC Internationals	BIC	Bournemouth
17-18th	June	2023	Cheer City	Nationals	Loughborough	Midlands
1st	July	2023	ICC	Battle of the Champions	Motorpoint Arena	Nottingham
2nd	July	2023	ICC	British Open Pt 2	Motorpoint Arena	Nottingham
8&9th	July	– 2032	ICE	UDE Championship	The hub collge	Walsall
15th	July	2023	ICC	Summer Jam	Bowlers Exhibition Centre	Manchester
8&9th	July	2023	BCA	Champion Challenge	TBC	TBC
June 30 – July 2,		2023	Jamfest	JAMfest Europe	M&S Bank Arena Liverpool	Liverpool

Competition for UKCA

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How to deal with disappointment

We’re fresh into a new season now, even the uni teams are up and running.

The start of the season is so full hope, ambition and excitement for what is to come. You may be on your first cheer team, your dream cheer team, a team competing internationally for the first time, a team with your best friends, or you may still be feeling slightly disappointed by your team placement. Whatever your circumstance, your feelings are totally valid. In this article, we’re going to explore how you can deal with disappointment, how you can move forwards without feeling so down in the dumps.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that feeling disappointed or rejected is a totally normal human response and experience

Photo by Kat Smith on Pexels.com

. It’s important for us recognise that in life there will be peaks and troughs, ups and downs. And so it’s about celebrating and making the most of the wins, whilst observing the losses and learning from them. We likely learn much more from our 2nd placements or even last placements, then we do from the 1st placements and grand champs. That’s the annoying thing about life. Sometimes it feels as though all our losses hit us at the same time. That can feel really heavy, like a metaphorical pyramid falling in cannon. It’s harder to get up and dust yourself off from those kinds of losses or disappointments. Even more in those moments it’s important to remember that balance in life. If you’ve been knocked back 30x in a row, it sounds like your luck should be turning soon!

Photo by Prateek Katyal on Pexels.com

These things are so much easier said than done, I get that.

When you don’t make the team you expected, when you get separated from your friends, when you feel like you worked so hard and have nothing to show for it, it can be super hard to put on a smile, tie up your shoes and walk back in the gym. Every season is met with disappointment for someone. I’ll tell you the same thing I’ve told my teammates every season: think about how much your team changed last season from beginning to end.

For most, people may change position, teams may get re-jigged, someone decides to quit or get moved to another team and that creates room for others.

Who do you think are going to get those new spots? Those that continued to work hard despite not being completely happy with their placement. It’ll go to that athlete that turns up early to training, is wearing the right training gear, always puts in 100%, has a positive attitude as they want to do better.

You’ve got to be in it to win it. Of course, if there’s a specific spot on a Level 4 team, it’s unlikely to go to someone with little experience in that position just because they are nice. But also, that’s not to say it won’t. I’ve seen big leaps in levels in the space of one season, it CAN happen. Hard work never goes unnoticed! But I suppose that’s another thing to remember, levels are just a number.

In saying that, not everyone will move teams each season. You may well be on this team, in this position or experience this disappointment all season long. Then what? Let’s break it down.

Emotional awareness

What exactly are you feeling disappointed by? The position, the level, that you didn’t get moved “up”, that you got moved “down”, you’re not competing at a certain competition, you’re with a different coach, something else? Whatever your disappointment is, why are you feeling disappointed? Is it the opportunities, does it make you feel lonely, embarrassed, did you want that association, something else entirely? Being honest with yourself and understanding your disappointment will allow you to move forward. Once you’ve figured it out for yourself, I’d suggest speaking to someone about it. Sometimes you might feel better first discussing it with someone who doesn’t have that emotional attachment (e.g. if you’re disappointed about something in cheer, maybe speak to someone outside of cheer first). Maybe you do want to speak to a friend, a teammate, a family member.

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

Secondly, I’d always recommend speaking to your coach as well.

I’d advise speaking to them second/third/fourth, just because disappointment is an emotion, a normal response to a loss. In my opinion anyway, I think it’s more constructive to have a straight talking conversation with your coach about how you’re feeling disappointed, why you’re disappointed, followed by asking them how you can improve, how you can avoid *this disappointment* next time. Showing emotion is totally fine, it shows you care. I say talk to your coach second because I’d rather you tear up than start shouting at them. Anger and resentment isn’t a key quality a coach is looking for in an athlete. As I mentioned, your emotions are valid, but it’s best to get that out of your system talking WITH friends/family, rather than shouting AT your coach. Think of it like a job. If you get angry with your manager for not giving you the promotion, they’ll be less likely to give it to you next time than if you asked for further support to improve.

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And lastly with that emotional awareness, it comes back to your why. Why does this disappoint you? Let’s use that to set your goals for this upcoming season. You could do that in collaboration with what your coach has advised working on. I’ve done this in the past, and the coach responded by saying “I really appreciate you coming up to me. I’ll get back to you with what you can work on”. Because realistically, you didn’t get on that team not because you were absolutely terrible and there’s a list of a million things your coach can point out that you need to improve, but just because you weren’t quite the right fit, YET.

Manage expectations

Similarly to what I was just discussing, in reflecting on your disappointment and upcoming goals, manage your expectations. If you didn’t get on the Level 4 team because they’re focusing on having a high number of tumblers this season, it might be a bit if a stretch to expect to compete a standing tuck by the end of the season if you’re currently working on a forward roll. That’s an extreme example, but hopefully you see where I’m coming from.-

This may well even be a whole team exercise. You can have you own personal goals alongside your team goals. That includes what all teammates expect of the team, what the coach expects of the team, and what the team expects of the coach. That’ll then help you manage your expectations for the upcoming season. If the teams goals don’t necessarily align with your personal goals, will you need to get additional training in, privates or open gyms? It’s about adopting a solution-based mindset, rather than a problem-based mindset.

Learning experience

Lastly, how can you use this disappointment as a learning experience? Maybe you’ve been on this team for 3 seasons now and feel like you’ve exhausted it completely. Remember, cheerleading isn’t JUST about maxing out tumbling or stunting skills. We gain some much more like friendships, memories, confidence, strength, flexibility, opportunities that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. Can you use this season to focus on one of those areas or even your weakest area? Can you use this season to just purely enjoy the sport, your team and your programme? I’ve been in this situation before, disappointed with my placement. It was following a particularly difficult year so I thought, ok, this isn’t my dream team, even if I don’t make the “dream team” next season, how can I make this season worth something? How can I make the most out of this season? I decided that alongside focusing on my confidence performing, I was going to focus on the friendships and falling back in love with the sport. And I now look back at that season with the fondest memories, it’s probably my favourite season. Being a very competitive person, that did not come naturally to me – focusing on something other than skills. But in reality, we usually do better at the things we love than the things we hate. So I probably improved the most over that season than any other, because I decided to use it as a learning experience.

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I’ve mentioned a few times now that feeling down or low in mood following a loss or disappointment is a natural response. And whilst it’s really important we recognise that and allow ourselves to feel this negative emotion; if we we’re constantly feeling negative or low in mood, perhaps we need a little extra support. And that extra support can come from a number of places.

A phrase I often use in work is “if nothing changes, nothing changes”. What I mean by that is, if you’re in a negative mindset, and don’t receive beneficial support, nothing will change and you’ll likely stay in that negative mindset. When our mental health takes a dip, it can feel really difficult to do the once simplistic of tasks. That’s because everything’s weighing us down and everything just feels heavier. If you’ve tried a few strategies and still can’t get out of this headspace, if you’ve spoken to family/friends for support and it’s not helped, if you’ve looked up some self-help tips and it’s not working, or if those don’t sound like viable options, maybe it’s time to have a discussion with someone like your GP, or even a mental health support organisation. A common response I tend to hear is “I’m not bad enough”, or “there are people so much worse off than me”.

My response to them is always, “it’s all relative”. As blunt as it sounds, a man who drowned in the ocean is still just as dead as a man who drowned in a puddle. It’s all relative to the situation. Everyone deserves support in those moments and so I’ll share some organisations you may want to look into for further advice and support – even just on their website if you don’t want to contact them.

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

The Mix provide essential advice for 14-25 year olds in a range of topics such as mental health, housing, relationships, drugs and so much more! They have a number of articles online, discussion boards, a telephone advice line and web chat feature.

Call: 0808 808 4994

https://www.themix.org.uk/

Shout is a text service for anyone who is stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, depressed or suicidal. You can contact them 24/7 by texting 85258.

The Samaritans are a well known service for anyone who needs someone to listen. Whilst they do support those experiencing suicidal thoughts, they are a 24/7 listening service, you don’t need to be suicidal to contact them. You can call, chat online, write an email, download their self help app or even write a letter.

Call: 116 123

Email: jo@samaritans.org

That’s all for today’s blog. I hope you got something from it. If there are any topics you’d like us to cover next time, do get in touch!

Take care,

Rach

Written by Rachel

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The Diary of a University Cheerleader : CFHTT competition and Giveaway

Calling all university Teams : CFHTT competition and Giveaway

University cheerleading is a rapidly expanding part of the Cheerleading community and something we celebrate at CFHTT.
The Diary of a University Cheerleader allow current university cheerleaders to document and give a real insight into their experiences as uni cheerleaders.
Each month the winning university will have there Diary entry published on CFHTT social media platform for the world to read.

We also have amazing products and services that you can win from our amazing sponsors

You will win

One set of team bows for one team from Primacy Cheer.

One set of Team T-shirts for one team from 360 Dance and Cheer.

One session with Endchoreo, an industry consultancy business, to help athletes and coaches to achieve their cheer and dance dreams.

One Session with MJ Cheer is a tumbling coach and Team England adaptive abilities expert who’s focused on inclusivity for all so everyone can part take in this sport.

Rules for the competition

This competition is an Instagram competition
To enter the competition, you must
1) have your official university Instagram accounts follow @cheerfromheadtotoeuk,
@primacycheer ,
@endchoreo,
@360danceandcheer
@mjcheer_

2) Share this post on your timeline and Instagram stories making sure you tag @cheerfromheadtotoeuk
3) Leave your favourite emoji on the @cheerfromheadtotoeuk post.
4) Email Cheerfromheadtotoe@gmail.com to confirm your entry.

The winner will be contacted via email, competition ends on October 21th at 5 pm.
GOD Bless

The Diary of a university Cheerleader competition goes live this October join our Facebook group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/621276109608694/discussion/preview

Hi, my name is Caroline, I’m the founder of Cheer From Head To Toe (CFHTT)

University cheerleading is a rapidly expanding part of the Cheerleading community and something we celebrate at CFHTT.

Unfortunately, the university division is still undervalued and underfunded.

This is why I created the competition ” The Diary of a University Cheerleader.”

To allow current university Cheerleaders to give a real insight into their experiences as uni cheerleaders.

Each month the winning university will have their Diary entry published on CFHTT social media platform for the world to read.

The Diary of a university Cheerleader competition goes live this October

I would love for your team to enter.

Please join this Facebook group to be the first to know everything about the competition.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/621276109608694/discussion/preview

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