Our Last Partner Stunt?

Looking to the future has made me realise that my cheerleading career could be nearing it’s end. It seems a strange concept to me, especially considering the past manic six months we have just had with intensive training and competing at three different competitions.

This year we have chosen to compete with FC and ICC events. We can no longer participate at other companies as the different organisation’s rules do not correspond with each other, meaning we would have to keep changing our routines. Unfortunately FC do not have another competition in England until their Nationals in July, and ICC have just had their Nationals last weekend and will not be hosting another competition until August.

I will be especially sad to leave my team, and desperately would like to compete with them again. But in July I will be moving back home and Mike, my stunt partner, has just been accepted into the police, so will be moving back home too at the start of summer.

So I wanted to share our last partner stunt routine with you.

I hope you enjoy it.

Leeds Student Paper Again...

Once again, the Celtics made the student paper! Only This time on page 3!

To view the article click here or follow the link:

http://leedsstudent.lsrfm.com/news/Celtics+cheer+their+way+to+victory+and+win+record+of+six+trophies/

Future Cheer Triumph

We competed for the very first time as a team last weekend at Future Cheer's Saturday Night Fever Competition.

After a full day of routines, the awards were announced. The Celtics took home four first place trophies for University/Open All-Girl Level 5, All-Girl Open Stunt Group Level 5, Mike and Rachel Partner Stunt level 6 and Co-Ed Open Stunt Group level 6. Two 2nd place trophies for University/Open Co-Ed 6 and Tim and Sarah Partner Stunt 5. They were also proud of James and Laura, Sophie and Jen who both entered Partner Stunt 5, placing 4th and 6th respectively.

This weekend was a tremendous accomplishment for the Celtics, seeing their Co-Ed Group Stunt defending their title for the 16th time in a row, their All-Girl team were favourites to win the Grand Champion title and their Co-Ed team displaying complex and inspiring stunts and pyramids previously unseen in the UK, securing their consistent ranking as some of Britain’s best cheerleaders.

Post comp, the training and competition pressure seems to have caught up with everyone, especially Laura who has Bronchitis! During the competition day I thought I was going to die; the night before I didn't comit to a basket and torpedoed head first into Tim Burnett's chest from my arabian split full basket leaving me seeing stars and one side of my neck was a lot bigger than the other!

The Celtic Men

On the subject of male cheerleaders, I thought I should mention my own squad, seeing as they are pioneering the way for co-ed cheerleading in the UK.

Our first competition this season (with ICC) saw the Celtics take to the floor in the first ‘truly’ co-ed routine seen this side of the pond.

By ‘truly’ co-ed I mean that there were more men on the floor than women, and that all the stunts that were thrown were co-ed ‘partner’ stunts, not ‘group’ stunts. This by no means undermines all the other co-ed squads out there; the UK cheerleading community is currently at a transitional stage in it’s development where we have just begun to tap into the resources which can provide correct and up-to-date co-ed stunt coaching. The video posted below is the highlights from the UCA 2008 Partner Stunt Nationals (these are some of the best in the world!)

In the past few years co-ed cheerleading has really taken off, starting in February 2006 with the very first Co-ed Partner Stunt division (one base and one flier) at a UK competition.

Hosted by Future Cheer, it saw Mike McMahon and I pull out the very first all-British routine and the start of a new excuse, I mean trend for men to show off their masculinity and brawn.

Every time I blink, the standard of co-ed stunting increases and the next big Partner Stunt division is at Future Cheer’s Midland competition in February this year.

Good Luck to our four couples and everyone else who are entering.