Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
City cheerleaders win silver on world stage
A DUNDEE team has won silver at one of the biggest cheerleading competitions in the world.
The Scottish Bluebells travelled to Florida to compete in the Allstar World Cheerleading Championships and qualified for the finals in the U19 Level 1 X-small category.
They were the only nonamerican team to qualify, beating Pride of Palm Springs from Florida and CMS Allstars from Pennsylvania.
Myrtle Beach from South Carolina claimed the win.
It was a special moment for coach Morag Brannan as this was the first time in her 28-year career she had taken her cheerleaders to the championships.
Clare Lindsay, a parent of one of the cheerleaders, said: “It’s a massive achievement.
“You’d never expect a little team from Dundee to go to America and come out second-best in the world.”
The Bluebells team, which is also coached by Natalie Milne, is made up of 11 girls aged between 14 to 17 from Dundee and St Andrews.
Since qualifying for the championships last April, the girls have been training two to three times a week and participating in four-hour sessions at the weekend.
They also dedicated hours to raising the money to get to the States.
After performing in front of an estimated 50,000 spectators and with 26,000 athletes, the Bluebells also took part in a show at Disney World.
Clare said the team was “buzzing”.
She added: “It’s just surreal. Nobody knew how we’d do.
“A little team from Scotland going to Florida, beating these American gyms.
“They were only one point off first – it’s massive.”
She added. “They’ve punched way above what anyone could ever expect.”
To be selected for the championships, the team competed in four contests in the international under-19 division.
When cheering at the Caird Hall, as part of Cheer Festival, judges selected the Scottish Bluebells.
The competition was held over two days, with the first being a qualifier and the second being the finals.
The Bluebells offer three classes – ages four to eight, eight to 11, and 12 upwards.