TT teams leave for PanAm Cheerleading

THE routines are polished and luggage packed as dozens of teenagers from St Joseph’s Convent, Port of Spain, and two clubs, Studio 7 Spartans and Southern Scarlets Cheer Club, get set to leave tomorrow to represent TT for the first time at the Pan American Cheerleading Championships, in Costa Rica.

Months of twists and turns, injuries and sacrifices have paved the way for two days of competition, Saturday and Sunday, when the three teams compete in three different levels and categories, all with the intention of bringing home a medal.

The St Joseph’s Convent Scorpionettes, having represented the country before in cheerleading, will make their international competitive debut in hip hop dance. The team qualified for the championship after winning the hip hop senior category at last year’s TT Cheer Federation (TTCF) National Cheerleading Championships, a title they retained this year.

Southern Scarlets and Studio 7 Spartans also qualified after winning their respective categories at last year’s championship.

“I would say (they’re at about) 70 per cent (ready),” said Yasmin Khan-Lee Wen, who along with Valerie Shepherd, is a teacher at the school and team manager.

“The routine is finished now, and what they’re doing now is trying to perfect that technique; little things that need to be fixed, movement, positions, that kind of thing,” she added.

The Scorpionettes will travel with 15 members of the team, as well as staff and chaperones.

Thirteen-year-old Taiis Yearwood, the most junior member, said she feels some pressure to perform at the same standard of her more senior teammates. “I do feel a bit intimidated as the youngest person going from SJC,” said Yearwood, “because they have a lot more experience.”

Meanwhile, Cecilia Qiu, 18, one of three team captains (along with Safiya Doyle and Gabriella Thong), and among the more seasoned campaigners, spoke confidently about her and the team’s level of preparedness.

“We’re going there to medal or at least do the best we can,” Qiu said. “If we don’t medal, we could at least say we did our best and we know we put in the hours and effort.”

Qiu, an upper six student, began cheerleading in third form, and started hip hop cheer last September. She represented the Scorpionettes twice in cheer, this year and 2017.

Having qualified since last year’s national event, the Scorpionettes started to host fund-raising activities five months ago, with parents and well-wishers making generous contributions.

Southern Scarlets, however, has hosted five fund-raisers ahead of the trip, yet, there is still a shortfall, said team manager Jacqueline Jordan.

“(We’ve) written to corporate TT and people within the community (but) that resulted in disappointment,” Jordan said. Costumes, travel gear and printing costs are yet to be fully covered.

She hopes the team attracts the attention and support it deserves, adding that competitive cheer and dance need to be highlighted as they are relatively new to the country and “people still haven’t bought into it.”

The Southern Scarlets are ready to perform the routine they worked tirelessly on, Jordan said. Her team began preparing for Costa Rica with one training session per week to four sessions at present.

The TTCF has also been instrumental in preparing the teams, hosting several workshops and camps, leading up to the Costa Rica trip. The governing body issued a statement to the teams ahead of their trip, congratulating them on their qualification and saying it remains “committed to providing opportunities to all our dance and cheer athletes through quality training and leadership development programmes.”

Studio 7, runners-up in the group stunts division and junior hip hop division (behind Southern Scarlets) last year, travel with a mixed squad of novice and experienced team members, including the youngest member of all three teams, eight-year-old J’desia Gajadhar.

On touchdown in Costa Rica, they will resume training sessions and take part in a mock competition before the actual event.

A considerable measure of strength, co-ordination, fitness, finesse and many other attributes, commonly associated with the most gruelling sports, are required in competitive cheer, hip hop dance and other associated exercises. It can also be dangerous.

According to a 2012 report from the American Academy of Paediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, cheerleading carries the highest rate of catastrophic injuries to girl athletes in sports.

National team rosters:

(Studio 7 Spartans)

Zion Elton Lincoln, Makayla Marshall, Kimya Molligan, Asa Elie, Kenya Jerimie, De’Quan Abraham, Monique Mohammed, Darius Williams, Hezekaiah Deane, Josiah Thomas, Arianna Rogers, Sydney Ramdass, Jada Mason, Leshauna McDonald Alfred, J’Desia Gajadhar and Shania Richardson.

Management: Carol Matthew Webb (team manager) and Leon Webb (assistant manager) and Adrian Daniel (coach)

(St Joseph Convent Scorpionettes)

Safiya Doyle, Kaitlyn Guerra, Ella Haqq, Chena-Marie John, Chaya Johnson, Jadel Lewis-Bowen, Tamiaah Martin, Zahra de Freitas, Cecilia Qiu, Kiara Reece, Isis Riviere, Stephanie Sirju, Gabriella Thong, Jade Walcott and Taiis Yearwood.

Management: Yasmin Khan-Lee Wen (team manager) and Valerie Shepherd (team manager).

Southern Scarlets Cheer Club

Team roster: Lael Phirangee, Hadarah Phirangee, Jaell Joseph, Kwanza Smith, J’nyah Joseph, Shania Adams, Nafia Paul, Cianna Fisher, Kerdiah Diaz, Zariah Diaz and Rayanna Mayers.

Management: Jayme Hoyte (cheer coach), Cydni-J DeFrence (cheer coach), Shane Elbourne (hip hop coach and choreographer) and Jacqueline Jordan (team manager).