Hi Aimee
Hi CFHTT
Why did you join cheerleading
I first joined cheerleading because one of my friends dragged me along, as I went back to hers after school, but I wasn’t expecting much to be honest and thought it would be all about pompoms! When I walked in I saw girls being chucked about and standing on one leg in the air and I did not understand at all what I had let myself into. I then ended up stepping in for the final competition of the year, FC Nationals, as a base and tumbler. I had done a bit of gymnastics for fun previously, so was expecting the competition to be along the lines of that, however I was so wrong. It really is something you could never imagine until you are a part of it. Following this, I had decided I wanted to join properly and was asked to try flying, which took me ages to even get the hang of a prep! I was useless and so unflexible! Several sessions on and I was still struggling to get the hang of anything, but I remember being told, after I mastered a prep of course, that if I wanted to be in the air I had to be flexible, and that’s when I really got hooked.
What’s your favourite cheerleading uniform you have worn throughout the years?
My favourite uniform would probably have to be joint between both of Unity Blacks from this year; our gorgeous Varsity ones because I just love the style and comfy fit of it the most, but also our new super sparkly Rebel ones because they definitely stood out amongst the crowd!
You went to NCA what was that experience like
NCA must be one of my highlights for me in cheerleading. Although we all came off the mat a bit disheartened as we didn’t have a great run either day, the feeling on the floor was like nothing I have ever experienced! The size and energy surrounding that comp and just everything about it was just out of this world. I will never forget just walking into the warm up area that was filled with ridiculous amounts of sprung floors and athletes; I had to just stand there and soak it all for a couple of minutes! We then had about a 15 minute walk through the building, from the warm up to the arena to where we were competing, passing by at least another 5 or so other competition floors on the way. It really was just the most incredible and ginormous competition I have ever been to, much much bigger than Worlds and it really doesn’t matter how many pictures or videos you see of this comp, nothing can prepare you for what it really is like!
What’s has been your biggest achievement in cheer to date
Without a question of a doubt, my biggest achievement has to be standing on the ICU worlds podium and receiving our bronze medals for Team England this year. That is something that still does not feel real, but I could not be more proud of both COED and Allgirl, and of course thankful to our coaches, for just getting England on the map and giving us all this incredible experience at the World Championships. 3 is a charm for sure!
What’s your favourite part of a routine
I love stunting altogether and this year I have actually grown to love baskets and pyramid loads more too. Especially as I don’t really tumble anymore, I enjoy the excitement of when a stunt hits solid. For me though, it’s not a particular part, as it changes, but more a case of my favourite part of the routine being whenever I actually HIT something and can therefore perform the hell out of it, whether it be in the air or motions etc. on the floor!
You’re a cheerlebrity, what has been your craziest cheerlebrity moment
Honestly I wouldn’t call myself a cheerlebrity at all! I have just become fairly well known over the past few years, but don’t get me wrong I do love walking around competitions and meeting new people, taking pictures and things like that; its nice to know people want to follow your journey and I just hope I am able to inspire them in some sort of way!
One random memory from Worlds 2011 though, was when some of the Cheer Athletics girls happened to actually stop to ask if I was ‘Aimee Starfish’ and started saying they follow me etc., so for me that was weird but pretty cool at the time, and even cooler that we are still in touch and meet up each year too!
You inspire so many athletes across the UK, does that motivate you to push yourself.
Yes of course! I got to where I am today mostly because of the support and encouragement from all over the country, and all the kind words and messages which have kept me motivated and inspired me to become a better athlete. I remember being that little girl who watched all the videos and wanted to be like those great athletes on YouTube or that you see at competitions, never thinking there was even the slightest chance of being like them or getting to Worlds one day. It’s knowing that some of those passionate and budding athletes look up to me that is the most inspiring part of it all, as I know what it feels like to be in their shoes too. I fell in love with cheer and, as a result, everything else would revolve around it, so knowing I was able to inspire so many athletes by just enjoying what I did felt so awesome; passion really is the key to success though I think, as without it you just can’t push yourself to be your absolute best.
You’re known for your flexibility, how long did it take you to get that flexible?
It took a good couple of months, but I did stretch every day for fun. I was so unflexible when I first started, so as soon as I started seeing slight improvements it just motivated me to stretch more and more! I would probably do about an hour a day, give or take, but following my back injuries in recent years it has been harder to maintain flexibility. As I am always in pain, and repeatedly pulling stretches just makes everything flare up again, then I’m back to square one, however, every so often I will still be able to whip out a straight leg scorpion etc., but I’m certainly not as flexible as I used to be before!
So many athletes have mental blocks do you and if so how did you get over it.
I actually still have a mental block in tumbling! I got it randomly at worlds 2014, at the end of a session, and I’ve been told it’s possibly due to a lack of belief in myself, almost like someone has put doubt in my mind and I consequently blocked certain things out of my memory. I know physically I am able and have thrown these skills hundreds of times, but it just feels like my mind has blanked out how it all happens. It’s a confidence thing for me I think, I need to learn to believe in myself again and not doubt my abilities, but it’s harder than it sounds. Cheerleading really is 80% mental and 20% physical I think, so although I’m no expert I would say my key tip would be to be confident and believe in yourself and your abilities; 2 years on I’m still trying with minimal progress, but I will get there…
Who has been your biggest influence in the Cheer community?
There are a lot of people who have influenced me over the past few years, but I wouldn’t have got this far without the help of all of my teammates who inspired and motivated me, but also my coaches who pushed me to be my best and supported me. Yes, of course I look up to other athletes and some ‘cheerlebs’ etc., but at the end of the day, it’s those around me that I have got to know so well, that I looked to more so.
What your favourite cheer memory and why
I couldn’t possibly name just one! In my 6 years of cheerleading there have been so many incredible memories I just wouldn’t know where to start! I think ultimately if I had to pick one, probably making the Unity Black COED 6 Worlds team in 2010-2011, for the very first time. I just remember this being a dream, actually competing at the world championships, but I never thought it could be a reality, so that was so amazing to have been given that opportunity back then, little did I know I would compete at worlds another 7 times, including representing our country 3 times on Team England!
You have been casted in Bring It On Six,what was the process like
It was all very random really, but I got a message from Kenny & Lisa from Spring Tumbling wanting to know if I was cheering this year or not. They proceeded to send me a bit of information and ask if it would be something I was interested in or not, as I did not have any other cheer commitments this year, so of course I said yes without hesitation! The producer, Tony G, then got in touch and the process of auditioning began now we had been selected. If I remember correctly, there were about 5 different stages we had to get through before making the final shortlist and I still can’t believe I got picked to go through all that, let alone make the final cut! When you found out you had be casted what did that feel like? I was speechless! I had no clue what to do or say and was just totally gobsmacked! I had never even thought about the possibility of being in a film, let alone something so well known like ‘Bring It On’!
The whole process of being selected was so quick too and It just didn’t sink in at first. I remember having a BBQ at home when I found out, I ran inside to tell my mum the news and she just screamed and jumped with joy! It took me a good few days for it to sink in though and then I just burst out crying and was overwhelmed with emotions when the reality of it all hit me. I was so excited but so scared knowing I had only a few weeks to pack up my life, hand in my notice at work and prepare myself to move to South Africa for 3 months. I was terrified of the unknown and had no idea what to expect but didn’t think twice about being given this incredible experience!
What has the experience been like this far into making the movie
I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s been tough and a whole roller coaster of emotions, however I’ve learnt so much and experienced so many things – too many to even put into words. I’ve realised what it actually takes to make a film too and what goes on behind the scenes, the endless hours of rehearsals and organisation, wardrobe fittings, the set life and how everything happens etc. I had no clue what it would be like, any of this, so it’s been so eye opening to learn all of these things that I will treasure forever. Along with learning about the film industry and how it all comes together, I’ve learnt so much about myself and what I’m actually capable of too. I’ve never been a dancer and always struggled to pick up counts and choreography so walking in here and spending day after day learning dance routines and trying to not only learn the counts, but struggling even more to coordinate my body to do dance moves was not only physically, but even more mentally exhausting! Looking back now on my time here so far, I can already see that I can pick it all up much faster and it takes a fraction of the time for me to then get my body to actually do the things I’m trying to do. Skills as simple as listening, watching and then copying what I’m taught is slowly becoming easier and less foreign to me too.I’m still finding it hard, don’t get me wrong, but it’s slowly getting easier and less stressful and I’m so excited to actually be on set and start filming next week! This whole experience is one I will never forget though and I just can’t even believe I’m still here and experiencing all of this, learning 24/7 and just being blessed to be able to work with some truly inspiring and knowledgeable people who have done this all time and time again!
It’s also been great working with other cheerleaders from across the world too, bonding and developing new friendships that even after filming is over, I’m sure we will all keep in touch! We have grown into our own little international family I couldn’t have wished for a better group to spend my days with. Aside from all the hard work and rehearsals though, it’s also been incredible to actually explore Cape Town too and see places I never thought I would. It’s such a scenic place and being able to share these incredible memories with the rest of the squad is just awesome! As we head into our final couple of days of rehearsals now, it’s all go and making sure everything is camera ready! It’s going to be a long few weeks ahead, but I know all the hard work will be worth it and I’m excited to continue on this journey and keep experiencing everything, soaking it all in!
Lastly what is your favourite UK Cheer team (apart from the team you are on) and your favourite non UK cheer team and why?
My favourite UK cheer team would have to be Rising Stars. I had the best time getting to know them all and experiencing worlds with them back in 2014, when I had the privilege to fill in for them. They are honestly some of the most genuine cheerleaders I know and were all so welcoming and supportive and even to this day I continue to follow their journey and keep up to date with them all. In fact, here’s a little shout out to them all, as I would just like to say another massive congratulations to them for worlds this year and their amazing results!
My favourite non UK cheer team would have to be Cheer Athletics Wildcats, and for no particular reason apart from that I just love them. Again, they are super friendly and after meeting some of them over the past few years it just made me want to aspire to be on that team one day, although I realise it’s not going to happen!
If you want to find out more about Aimee please feel free to follow her social Media accounts
Instagram – aimssoreilly
Facebook – Aimee O’Reilly
Twitter – aimssoreilly
Don’t forget to follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook and check out our
@Cheerfromheadto
Discover more from The UK's number one Cheerleading Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
