Carrickfergus cheerleading club attracting members from across east Antrim
A cheerleading club, formed in Carrickfergus in October 2023, is attracting members from across east Antrim as it continues to grow.
Velocity Cheerleading Club was established by Sasha Largey and Danielle Wilson last year and now conducts training sessions at Carrickfergus Leisure Centre for 50 people from the age of five.
Speaking to the Carrick Times, Sasha (24), who was crowned All-Ireland Tumbling solo champion in 2017, explained: “Setting up my own cheerleading club has been an aspiration of mine for a long time.
"I started doing cheerleading with the Valley Wildcats in Newtownabbey when I was 12. I entered my first competition with the team in 2013 in Scotland, finishing third. In the Cheer and Dance Federation NI event in 2016 I finished second in the Tumbling solo division, before being crowned All-Ireland champion in the same discipline a year later.
"Cheerleading is growing in Northern Ireland and we now have 50 girls coming to sessions, aged from five. Our oldest member is 44. Alongside Danielle, who hails from Newtownabbey, we have three other coaches- Atlanta Wylie, Sarah McNickle and Emily Wilson.
"We have members attending our sessions on a Wednesday evening from across east Antrim and further afield, including Greenisland, Carrick, Whiteabbey and Larne. It’s not just for people from Carrick, everyone is welcome, including all abilities and boys as well as girls.”
The mother-of-two added: “Cheerleading teaches a number of life skills. It is challenging, teaches resilience, builds confidence and encourages teamwork. It helps in so many other fields and when routines are successful, it is very rewarding.
"We’re currently on a break for the summer, but when classes resume for our open team on August 21 and our full programme on September 4, members will be preparing for our first competition, the Land of the Giants in Antrim in February 2025.
"Cheerleading is not recognised as a sport here, so we don’t get the same support as sports like gymnastics. Everything we do is self-funded or financed through generous donations from businesses and parents linked to the club.
"Hopefully cheerleading will be classed as a sport here in the future. I’d like to thank everyone who has backed us since we got going and encourage anyone who is considering sponsoring us to please make contact via our social media.”