Hi Steffi 

Hi Caroline

What does it mean to you to represent your country?

 

Wales is underrepresented as a nation in cheerleading and sport as a whole because we are a small country with not that many athletes to offer compared to countries like America or Canada.  It is an incredible feeling to be picked as one of the few that will go head to head with these large countries and represent Wales, especially because many countries don’t even know where Wales is, or in some cases that it is even a country!  Representing my country is the best feeling in the world and I am so grateful to have been offered this opportunity for so many years!

 

What do you most enjoy about Cheerleading?

 

I enjoy the challenge of working with different athletes from a range of programmes on a national team that you may have never stunted with before.   I love the positivity that cheer has, especially when people learn new skills or hit new stunts for the first time! 

I’m one of the few people that enjoy back to back full outs! 

One of my favourite things is the excitement and buzz of hitting your routine for the first time and seeing all of your hard work paying off! There is nothing more rewarding than seeing people proud of what they have just performed!

 

 

What do you feel are your main strengths in Cheerleading are?

I feel my strengths in cheer are basing and stunt technique, as a coach I have had the chance to pass on what I have learnt over my last 10 years of cheer and develop athletes that are well equipped with fundamentals so they can progress quickly and easily!  To put the two together I feel one of my strengths is thinking of new grips for new and old skills to make skills applicable to different levels as well as thinking of grips to make skills easier to execute!

 

 

How many years have you been on Team Wales for e.g.first year, second year etc

 

This will be my 4th year on Team Wales and my 3rd on Coed Elite! I first represented Wales in 2015 where we placed 9th, and again in 2017 placing 14th.  Alongside this, I also represented Wales in Freestyle Pom, Jazz and ParaCheer Freestyle Pom in both 2017 and 2018, and in 2019 I will be returning as a coach of Junior All-Girl Advanced as well as an athlete on Coed Elite.

 

Why did you want to try out for Team Wales?

 

I tried out this year for Team Wales Cheer because I missed competing because in  2018  I was only doing dance!  I am also hoping to move away for university in September so this could potentially be my last time representing Wales for a couple of years depending on where I go!  I first tried out in 2015 because I had seen my friends compete the year before and I knew that was going to be my goal!

Name a quote that keeps you motivated.

Push yourself, because no one else is going to push for you!

Favourite skills e.g cheer stunt, tumble or dance move.

I love basing double ups and low to highs, my favourite tumble is probably a whip through to full!

 

Which team are you apart of or have you been previously apart of?

I am currently on Team Wales Coed Elite and RSD Legends, who will also be attending Worlds in the International Open Small Coed 5 division of USASF Worlds!  I was previously part of Team Wales Freestyle Pom, Team Wales Freestyle Jazz and ParaCheer Freestyle Pom.

 

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

 

It was really good to be surrounded by the best athletes in Wales from a range of gyms!  It was a completely relaxed atmosphere with everyone supporting each other to show the best stunting and tumbling skills they have to make the national team!

 

What has been your major highlights/achievements while being a part of Team Wales

 

My 3 major achievements while being part of Team Wales was placing 9th with the first co-ed elite team in 2015 at my first ICU Worlds, placing 2nd with ParaCheer Freestyle Pom in 2018 and finally becoming a World Champion with ParaCheer Freestyle Pom in 2017, it was an honour to be the first World Champions in this division and the first Welsh World Champions at ICU Worlds!  \

One highlight from being on ParaCheer Freestyle Pom was coming off from competing and seeing how pleased all of the athletes were, and how emotional all of the disabled athletes were, as this division has allowed them to participate in a sport that they may never have participated in before or they may have been restricted in!

 

Describe the funniest thing that’s happened to you while you were at training.

My stunt group are always having a laugh so there isn’t really one thing that stands out as being funny!

What stunts/ techniques have you found interesting to learn and why?

I find pyramids interesting to learn because you can try new and creative skills!  You also get to try new skills from a higher level which will help progressions in the future.

 

What does Worlds mean to you?

It means knowing I have reached the highest honour possible for my sport!  No to Worlds are the same, so every year is just as rewarding as the first time I went.  No matter how many times you have been, the goal is always to go out, hit, and enjoy your performance!  I still get the same overwhelming feeling of realising I have been chosen to represent my country every year, it is such a humbling feeling!  Worlds is the most prestigious event of the year, so not only am I representing my country, but I also aim to inspire younger athletes who also have a goal of going to Worlds one day who may be watching and supporting back home!

If you have been to worlds before what did it teach you?

 

      The first time I went to Worlds I learnt how important it was to go out enjoy the performance that we had all worked so hard for.  Representing your country is something that not every athlete gets the opportunity to do, so it is really important to enjoy it for yourself and for everyone watching at home!   I also learnt that family in your team is key, we had an irreplaceable bond in the first year of co-ed elite that I will treasure forever!

 

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

 

I would say that it is an experience like no other that you just have to grab while you can!  Not everyone on the team is a well-rounded athlete, we have some people that only stunt and some people that specialise in tumbling!  Everyone brings their own strengths to the team in different ways, and if you feel you can bring something like that to the team then you should definitely try out! All of the Welsh athletes are lovely, so if you were heading to tryouts on your own you would make friends in no time!

What will you miss about Team Wales and why?

I am going to miss training and competing alongside my best friends as we represent Wales together.  I am also going to miss working with other athletes and coaches from different gyms in Wales which have given me an insight into how different skills are taught and executed in different gyms! 

I really do LOVE learning how other athletes and programmes work and seeing what I can learn from them through working alongside them! 

It really is the best experience to be coached by a range of the best coaches in Wales!

 

What are you most excited to experience at Worlds 2019?

 

I am most excited to experience Worlds as a coach for the first time with Junior All-Girl Advanced!  Those girls have worked so hard to be the first Welsh junior team so I can’t wait for all of those athletes to walk onto the Worlds floor for the first time ever!  I am also excited for the cultural exchange that happens after the Opening Ceremony, where people from all over the world in all different divisions come together to celebrate cheer with no barriers!

 

Name a team from the United Kingdom and internationally that you are most excited to watch and explain why?

I am most excited to watch Team Wales ParaCheer Advanced at Worlds because they will be debuting in the Adaptive Abilities category, and there are so many athletes that would not be able to experience Worlds if this division had not been created.  Internationally I am most excited to watch Team Canada in the co-ed premier division because I love their chant and their insane baskets!  I am also excited to watch Team Japan in the hip hop and freestyle jazz division as they choreograph the most incredible pieces!

Thank you Steffi for letting us know what it means to represent your country. I hope to see one of those crazy coach videos of you while you watch your girls perform.