One last cheer
Graduating cheerleaders tell what it’s like to say goodbye to CHEER.
THEY say all good things must come to an end, and sadly, that was true for many of the cheerleaders at CHEER 2015.
Many of them have dedicated the last few years of their schooling lives training to be the best at CHEER, Malaysia’s top school cheerleading competition. So when they graduate, it can be a bittersweet feeling.
Team Vibrant captain Lee Ivy, for example, will not be leading her team out at CHEER 2016.
“It’s really sad that I won’t get to perform at CHEER again, especially after six years in this team. I cried during our final practice because these girls have been my family for so long,” she said.
The 18- year- old from SMK Puteri Titiwangsa cracked a bone in her right arm earlier this year while practicing a round- off back handspring, so for most of the 2015 cheer season, she had to perform her stunts with only one hand – including at CHEER 2015 last Saturday.
But that’s the kind of determination many of the cheerleaders would have picked up over the years practising the sport.
Anselm captain Lee Zhi Wee, 17, from SMK Infant Jesus Convent, said the sport has also given her a greater sense of responsibility.
“I was a swimmer before I joined cheerleading, so this is my first time participating in a team sport, and it has helped me grow a lot as an individual because it’s really important to have teamwork in cheerleading,” she said.
Although Zhi Wee is leaving for Britain to further her studies come January, she is eager to return during her breaks to continue working with her team – that is if they still have a team.
Despite finishing fourth in the highly- competitive All- Girls category at CHEER 2015, Anselm might not have the