How some tumbles can bring sweet rewards
This local youth went all the way to the USA so the world could hear her cheer.
Cheerleading is so much more than just pom-poms and cheering. But, don’t take our word for it, take Nina Gibb’s:
I arrived in high school as a gymnast with the goal of one day going to the Junior Olympics but never did I ever think I would be where I am now. I had little knowledge of what cheerleading was, thinking it was just pom-poms and cheering on the rugby team during half-time.
Some of my friends encouraged me to try it and I did. This was the best decision of my life. I first realised that although we do pom-poms, we also do some seriously difficult (and dangerous) stunts. I am a flyer, and as a flyer I am thrown in the air, putting my trust in the bases to catch me. As a flyer it’s terrifying knowing that a lot can go wrong very quickly.
In 2022, a group of us from my school attended the South African Majorettes & Cheer Association (Samca) national team trials. The team selection list was soon sent out and four of us were selected for the International Cheer Union (ICU) Worlds competition held in Orlando, USA in 2023. I was voted by my peers to be the captain of the team and was really scared because I was one of the youngest athletes on the team.
We trained throughout the year, for one routine and there were many injuries and challenges along the way. People dropped out of the team and new people had to step up and were expected to fill the shoes of the past athlete and they did!
Visa approvals to head to the US were probably our biggest challenge; three people were denied and went for a second appointment and were denied again – this was a week before we left for worlds.
The flight was so long and it felt as though we were never going to get there. When we arrived, we unpacked and immediately discussed the changes to the routine that were required for the three athletes whose visas were denied. Due to these last-minute adjustments, I ended up doing less flying and a lot more tumbling than I was accustomed to. I was worried about this, because two weeks prior I was on crutches from a tumbling incident that resulted in bone bruising of my ankle and I hadn’t tumbled since.
The competition was tough and I’d never seen so many competing countries in one place except on TV. The qualifying wasn’t our best routine, but after the nerves settled a bit, we were so ready for the finals. We pulled off a perfect routine with no falls and managed to come fourth. Yes, our goal was for gold, but with our circumstances and challenges faced, I couldn’t have hoped for a better result.
It was the best experience of my life and I got to meet famous cheerleaders from all over the world. I couldn’t have had a better coach or a better team, it was incredible! And, it was my proudest moment ever, to represent my country wearing Protea colours!
Now I have my sights set on the ICU Worlds in 2025 and I can’t wait.
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