THE RISING Stars cheerleaders will carry the hopes of a nation this summer, when they represent Britain in the European Cheerleading Championships.
The team, led by Macclesfield-based coach and choreographer Rachael Burrows, brought home the senior and junior team trophies from the British championships held at a packed National Indoor Arena in Birmingham last month.
The other local girls involved were Rachael’s twin sister Natalie Burrows, Laura Flint, Harriet Gleeson, Eilidh Cornish, Emma Anderson, Louise Witkowska and Lizzie Gisby.
In addition to the team victories, Burrows won the senior individual title, and Poynton starlet Sophie Decker was the under-nine’s individual winner.
Competitive cheerleading is a far cry from the common perception and involves highly dangerous routines involving ‘basket tosses’ in which a somersaulting team member is thrown up to 25ft in the air by her fellow dancers (and safely caught) and technically demanding moves that see the dancers stack themselves into vertigo-inducing pyramids.
The Rising Stars successfully defended the British title they won last year and, in July, will travel to Slovenia to pit their routines against their European rivals,in which their gymnastic and dance skills, jumping, cheering and overall presentation will be judged.
Rachael said: "I picked up ideas for routines when I was studying at the University of British Columbia in Canada and you get an idea of what judges are looking for.
"It’s nothing like the perception of cheerleaders with tiny outfits and pom-poms and it’s becoming more popular over here."
