WATCH: ‘Majorette’ event comes to Umbilo
With almost 3 000 athletes participating, this 'majorette' event culminates with the finals on Saturday.
QUEENSMEAD Hockey Stadium in Umbilo was a hive of activity this week as the South African Majorette and Cheerleading Association (SAMCA) hosted the National Majorette and Cheerleading Championships. The competition, which kicked off on Monday, runs until Saturday with the finals promising to be an electrifying event.
SAMCA President Wayne Oberem said there were 92 teams and just under 3 000 athletes from provinces across South Africa participating in the event.
“Any province can bid to host finals. It’s a huge undertaking. We prefer to host finals in a major city where it’s easily accessible,” he said, adding that for many participants, this year’s finals was their first visit to KZN and first time seeing the ocean.
Also read: Sails away for big offshore sailing event
Durban Girls’ High, the top team in KwaZulu-Natal, was among those competing on Tuesday, July 4. Coaches for the team are Samantha Perry who has 25 years of experience, Stephanie Greenway with six years of experience, and head coach, Keith Alho, who has close to 50 years of experience. Perry said the comp would include large and small drills.
“We have 60 girls in our team for Durban Girls’ High, and all compete in the large drill. For the small drill, 30 girls are in the team. During drills, we do formations with music,” she said.
Durban Girls’ High, which placed second last year in the large drill event, have their eyes on the first-place prize this year. And it’s all about precision and timing.
“Judges are looking at position and timing, posture and technical activities on the field,” said Perry.
Props used on the field include pom-poms, batons, maces, flags, double flags and rifles.
“For large drills, we can choose which we want to use. There is one leader, and we have 18 sub-leaders in our team,” she said.
Also read: Jamie sets off to Australia to represent South Africa
“Drum majorettes is not well known, and many people don’t think of it as a sport. It’s a time-consuming sport that requires hard work and dedication. We spend a lot of time practising, and it offers a team-building aspect, as well,” added Perry.
Perry said the Durban Girls’ High team practises three to four times a week, beginning with fitness drills and followed by practice to get the timing spot-on for the performance.
- The community is invited to visit the stadium to spectate, or they tune in to Super Sport to catch the action. The Grand Final takes place on Saturday. For more information, visit SANCA Facebook page.
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
