Flying high: Cheerleaders make history

It may have been cold and rainy outside but the competition was hot as New Zealand’s best cheerleaders took to the stage.

The 2016 Winter Wonderland Cheer and Dance Championships were held at the Aurora Centre at Burnside High School on Saturday.

About 500 people took part as teams, duos or individual competitors.

Gym manager and head coach of Christchurch’s All Star Pride club, Claire Stackhouse, said it was the first time a cheerleading competition had been held in the South Island.

‘‘It was quite a historic moment for cheerleading in New Zealand . . . and it was really exciting to have it held here.’’

About 10 clubs from throughout the country took part, she said, with competitors ranging in age from about 5 to 26.

The popularity of cheerleading continues to rise in New Zealand and Stackhouse said hosting competitions in the South Island would help the sport grow even more.

Auckland-based championships would attract about 1000 athletes, she said.

Two Christchurch teams – the Pride Sabres and the Pride Sassy Cats – and three Auckland teams won ‘‘bids’’ to participate in the global championships in Hawaii in June next year.

Stackhouse said many of the weekend’s competitors had never been to Christchurch.

‘‘People from Auckland haven’t come down because of the earthquakes so they were excited to see snow on the mountains.’’

Several teams spent time exploring the city too, she said, with the Margaret Mahy Playground and Christchurch institution C1 Espresso proving popular.

‘‘Everyone had a fantastic weekend and we would love to keep the competition down here next year,’’ she said.

All Star cheerleading in New Zealand follows the American style where routines are a combination of gymnastics, strength, dance and performance – similar to those seen in movies.

Each team member has their place and one wrong move could mean another hits the ground hard.

In 2014 Stackhouse said before cheerleaders got to the routine stage, they went through a stringent strength and flexibility regime.

It took almost an hour of every training session. The team did situps, squats, stretches and the splits.

PHOTO: JOSEPH JOHNSON/FAIRFAX NZ Sacha Hibberd, held by Tara Keene, with other members of Victory Cheerleading, perform during the Winter Wonderland Cheerleading Championship at the Aurora Centre for the Performing Arts at Burnside High School on Saturday.