Thousands expected to attend cheerleading competition

Participants from across the island of Ireland are set to take part in the annual Cheer and Dance Federation Northern Ireland competitions in the Valley Leisure Centre this weekend.
The event takes place in the Valley Leisure Centre.The event takes place in the Valley Leisure Centre.
The event takes place in the Valley Leisure Centre.

The events on April 13 and April 14, consist of an Allstar Cheerleading Competition and a Dance Competition.

Detailing the events, Chair Lindsay Smyth said: “Cheer day consists of solos, duos, stunt teams, teams and we have 21 clubs attending from all over Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

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“We also have two special performances: one from Team Ireland and one from Stuntworx Elite who will both be bringing their teams to Orlando Worlds at the end of April. Throughout the day is very competitive, however all competitors leave with a medal and all entries are awarded a trophy regardless of place.

“We also award two “Grand Champs” trophies and banners to the highest scoring team from our Tiny, Mini and Youth division, and another to our highest scoring Junior, Senior and University team. The parents aren’t left out as they are also highly competitive and show their moves to win a prize in our Cheer Mums and Dads competition, where they get up and perform to the audience.

“Our judges fly from all over the world and are of the highest calibre in the cheer world, having judged at Worlds. The Head Judge is Fiona Collumb, who is a representative of International Cheer Union and also runs her own event in Co Mayo called Celtic Spirit.”

Lindsay added: “Our Dance day consists of Dance Schools from all over Northern Ireland and includes three categories: Lyrical, Street and Modern. Participants aged four and over up to our adult age group will be competing.

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“The parents also get involved in entering the Dance Mums and Dance dads part of the day, where they get up and show us where their kids got their talent from!

“All dancers are awarded a medal for participation and every performance is awarded a trophy regardless of place. We source high quality judges who come from different aspects of the dance world to judge fairly.

“Over the two days we try to bring fun to a highly stressful environment. We want the kids to enjoy performing and try to make it as enjoyable as we can.

“We have also been able to donate money towards two charities close to your hearts. This year we donated to both Darren’s Bucket List and Friends of Cancer Centre.”

Cheer and Dance Federation Northern Ireland is a not for profit organisation, aimed at providing affordable competitions for cheer and dance clubs in Northern Ireland.

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