CFHTT interview with Team England Para athlete Eleanor Gribben

Name: Eleanor Gribben

Team England ParaCheer Team: Unified Advance

Role: Back/ Base

Age: 25

Disability : Hypothyroidism (Underactive Thyroid), my body can’t regulate its metabolism, body temperature, etc.

Cheer/Dance Career Goal/s: I would love to finally get my Back tuck and win Gold at worlds of course!

Instagram @elliegribben

Share something that makes you happy: My fiancé, Brad. This year I’m balancing; buying and selling a house, a part time masters, a full time job, planning our wedding, Team England Para Cheer and general life. None of that is possible without Brad making me smile when I’m stressed or making me laugh and he’s coming to support the team in Florida as well!

Which Para Team are you most excited to see and why?I’m excited to see HipHop teams from Kazakhstan and England compete! It’s really exciting seeing the Para Cheer divisions grow

How many years of experience do you have?  7 years of cheer.

Which teams are you currently a part of or have been part of in the past?Currently because of working I am only on Team England Para Cheer. Finding a team that I can commit to whilst also working is a bit of a balance. Generally, I need to be able to train with a team on weekends and then make the time in the week to train myself.  Its hard to commit to another team as well as TEPC without clashes. I started cheering with Bristol Jets at university and then joined London Cheer Elite when I graduated.

What was it like when you attended try-outs for Team England ParaCheer?

I was blown away by how many people were there. I had said if I didn’t make the team this was my year to retire but I kept getting into the call backs and then couldn’t believe it when I made the team. Retiring from cheer now feels so far away after experiencing TEPC!

 

Your favourite memory from being a part of Team England ParaCheer?

Nailing some of the stunts we have in the routine has been a real highlight. Making the adaptations gives you a lot to think about! When everything clicks and you hit your stunt in training for the first time everyone cheers because you nailed it and they know how hard you’re trying.

Describe the funniest thing that’s happen to you while you were at training?

I tend to grab flyers by their shorts or leggings when they start to fall so I can slow down the speed they fall at and try and pull them back into the stunt. One downside is the flyer gets a wedgie . However our new training kit ended up with me pulling one of our flyers’ leggings down and I threw myself on top of her to cover up her dignity. Our whole stunt group was on the floor laughing.

Are there any stunt/dance/technique adaptations you make which you find especially interesting?

One of our team has hearing difficulties and struggles to hear the music. The routine is so jam packed that we have to start after 5, 6,7, 8. I tap her arm to count her in and we try and really pronounce our counts during the routine as she can’t hear us or the music particularly well and this allows her to lip read whilst also stunting.

What advice would you give to someone who was scared to try-out for Team England Para this year?

Don’t hold yourself back go for it and really throw yourself into the tryouts. Traditional cheer is a fundamental part of the routine which we don’t really do in the UK. Bigger is better and really give it your all.

 

After Worlds, what will you miss about Team England Para and why?

The amazing people on the team. Every team is individual and will never be the same season to season. I LOVE my team including our amazing coaching team who never stop giving us their support and pushing us to be as awesome as we can be.

What are you most excited to experience at Worlds 2018?

I can’t wait to be at worlds representing my country with my best friend who is on Team England Co-ed! We haven’t worn the same uniform for 4 years, since we were at university. It’s really special that we’ll be there to support each other!