CFHTT’s interview with Matt Jones

Why did you decided to join a cheerleading team, and what do you love about it

Started Cheer & Dance at the Age of 15 and won numerous National titles with the Boswells School Team & DC49. With no previous experience in either discipline i was always determined to improve and work my way from the back of the mats to the front. I loved the buzz from training, competing to a crowd and the bond created within a team. The way a routine was pieced together using so many different elements was unlike anything i had ever done and i loved being involved with something so unique!

 What is your favourite part of a cheerleading routine

I absolutely adore stunting! There is nothing better than seeing a stunt section HIT or being involved in a routine where you have nailed your stunts! There is so much creativity in stunt sequences now and its amazing to see the way teams are thinking outside the box and pushing difficulty!

 What is your favourite competition you attended and why

Cheer competitions in the UK have seen such a fantastic increase in standards recently and its great to see how much EP’s care and are investing into our Sport! I absolutely love dance divisions in the Purbeck Hall at Future Cheer Internationals – Bournemouth! The buzz and the atmosphere is always insane and its so lovely to see how supportive everyone is of each other! I think if i had to choose my favourite competition though it would have to be Worlds – the most prestigious and the most amazing experience!

 Why did you decide to create Oblivion Allstars

We decided to create Oblivion Allstars as we knew we had so much to give back to the Cheer World!

Founded Oblivion Allstars Cheer & Dance in 2012 at the age of 20 and started with just 3 Cheer Teams, 2 Dance Teams and 50 Athletes.

Now 4 Years later we have 17 Cheer & Dance Teams (10 Cheer, 7 Dance) with over 160 Athletes.

 

 

 You are known for your inventive choreography how do you get inspired to choreograph, do you have a process to creating your choreograph

I think the most important thing about being a coach/choreographer is to never stop learning!! I regularly try and learn new styles, moves and techniques that can help influence my choreography and ability to coach! For dance (especially HipHop) i absolutely love a theme! I think themes allow both dancers and audiences to really connect to the piece and as a choreographer you can adapt your moves to suit the mood/feel of the piece!

I have learnt that I work best by doing everything by eye! Thats when the best things happen – exploring new formations, layers, transitions and moves on the spot and in the moment!

Don’t be afraid to explore new things, set new trends and most importantly don’t be scared to fail!

 

 

 You are one of the coaches for Team England Hip Hop what is that experience like

Team England is amazing!!! I Represented England at ICU 2012 in Jazz placing 9th and it was such an overwhelming experience! To know that you are representing your country on the Worlds stage is such an honour!

I wanted to get involved with Team England to help other athletes share this experience and showcase their skills to the World! I was lucky enough to be asked to lead Team England Dance and we will be entering our third year next year – aiming to break the top 5!

You are the first in the UK to have an All Boys team. What motivated you to create all boy squad and what future do you see for this team

We are so proud of how many boys we have at OA and are privileged to have an All Boy Team! The talent our boys posses is insane and to be able to train an all male level 5 team is such a unique challenge for both coach and athlete! At OA Our goal is and will always be to promote cheer to EVERYONE and we love seeing peoples perception of cheer change once they have seen our All Boy Team! We wanted to prove that there is a place in every element of cheer for Boys and we will continue to develop and grow this team and hopefully one day see an All Boy division across all competitions.

 Who has been your biggest influence in the Cheer community

For me as a dancer i have always and will always be inspired by Charlie Bedford from ADA! He is an absolute pioneer for the UK and Worlds Allstar HipHop scene and has been competing, placing well and even winning worlds for years! His choreography is always original and the fact he is still dancing and coaching is admirable and the reason i still do the same! I am so Looking forward to competing next year at the Dance Worlds with our Coed HipHop team after a year and half recovering from ACL Surgery. To have coached with him on Team England HipHop and now have competed against his teams on the Worlds Stage is such an honour and i am so proud that our two hiphop programs are now the most successful in the UK!

 What your favourite cheer memory and why?

My favourite memory from cheer has to be this seasons Worlds experience. Being the First ever program to take a Cheer & a Dance team to the World Championship two years in a row. A very challenging but rewarding task! With the amazing level and increase in talent in UK Cheer & Dance I feel it is quite rare in England to see a program have elite level athletes in both disciplines and so we are so proud to have been offered bids for both of our teams. We learnt so much this year as a program and i’m already excited to take potentially 3 teams (1 cheer and 2 dance) to Worlds next year.

There is no better feeling than seeing so many of our athletes represent so well on the Worlds Stage. Knowing that you played a role in making their dreams a reality is truly amazing.

 Lastly what is your favourite UK Cheer team (apart from yours) and your favourite international cheer team, and why

My favourite UK program has to be Gold Star. Since I started cheer and dance they have led the way in both disciplines and at such an elite level. They are so supportive and encouraging to other teams and continue to inspire so many athletes across the country! They never fail to put on a show at a competition and i will always be in awe of their talent.

My favourite international team is Rockstar! I think their flare and creativity is second to none and i am always mesmerised by their incredible choreography and stunt sequences! Rockstar Beatles are my favourites!

 

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love  CFHTT