The hard work of a group of determined Bunbury cheerleaders is paying off, with 2018 set to be a big year for training and competing.
Members of the Bunbury division of Perth Cheer and Dance Crew recently came away from the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation National Cheer and Dance Championships held in Melbourne with third place in their division.
Known as the biggest and most prestigious cheerleading competition in Australia with over 13000 athletes, the Bunbury group was one of the smallest teams to compete.
Coach Jessica Cala said she was ecstatic for the team who had worked really hard in 2017 and did an amazing job.
“The girls were really excited – it was a crazy day,” she said.
“They were pretty happy because most of them went last year and they got fourth, so it was an improvement.
“There were six teams in their division and they only announce the top five, so you don't know if you’re just not going to be called out.”
The girls train two hours a week and are currently in Level 1 of cheerleading with plans to progress to Level 2 in 2018 and training already underway for Nationals 2018 to be held on the Gold Coast.
Continuing their successful streak the State Team recently competed in Perth where they were selected to go to an American competition – The Summit.
It is the first time that the Bunbury crew has received an invite to an exclusive competition with the team of eight ramping up their training from three hours during school holidays up to six hours in the weeks leading up to the competition.
The team of eight girls will travel to Orlando in April for the competition.
“Earlier this year we went to two competitions in American but they were open to everyone, so this being an invite only event makes it pretty special,” Cala said.
“It’s kind of like the World Championships for Levels 1 to 4, so it’s a pretty big deal.
“To see the teams over in America that are more developed than what we have in Australia will just be amazing for the girls to look up to those teams and then they will want to work harder so they can go back.”