Team: Team England Para Cheer  

Position: Base

Age: 22

Career Goal: Primary School Teacher

Instagram name @Bethxxx0409

 

What does it mean to you to represent your country?

It’s such an honour to represent my country doing something that I love so much. It makes all the missed parties and family events throughout my teenage years’ worth it. I used to dream about going to worlds to represent my county so it sounds like a cliché but it really is a dream come true

How many years have you been on Team England for e.g? First year, second year etc.,

this is my first year on team England.

 

Why did you want to try out for this team?

I have always enjoyed watching the team England Paracheer. I tried out for the team last year because I was struggling to find all-star Paracheer teams. I didn’t make the team but really enjoyed the experience of trying out so I decided to try out again. Fully expecting to not make the team but enjoy the tryout, surprisingly I made the team.

Name a quote that keeps you motivated.

It’s not a quote as such but one of our team goals this year was to defy expectations. This keeps me motivated as I want to be seen as an athlete rather than just the “girl in the wheelchair’ I’ve already defied my own expectations about what I can do through being a member of team England and I can’t wait to share the rest of the world what I can do.

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

Before I got ill I loved doing punch fronts but now I prefer stunting, there are lots of stunts I love but I’ll say stretch to stretch tic toks.

If you have a disability that you would like to disclose please explain it below.

I have a disability with many different names but I call it M.E (myalgic encephalomyelitis. It’s often called CFS) basically not that much is known about it but my body can’t create and use energy as a healthy person. It’s a lot more than just being fatigued. It causes me many symptoms including fatigue. Headaches, dizziness, joint and muscle pain and weakness, food sensitivities and so much more. Because of my disability, I use a wheelchair, I use this to help me manage my fatigue (walking takes up a lot of energy), to help with dizziness and low blood pressure and to allow me to get around despite the muscle weakness in my legs. So although I can walk my wheelchair gives me freedom, independence, and a much higher quality of life.

Share something that makes you happy:

Spending time with my friends and family, dancing and of course, cheerleading is things that make me happy.

Which Para Team are you most excited to see and why?

I’m super excited to see all of the para teams at worlds but if I had to choose one it would be team England Paracheer Pom I have some friends on the team as well as the fact that to me pom dance always looks incredible.

How many years of experience do you have in your field?

I started cheerleading when I was 14 before I was unwell. Because of my illness, I was forced to take a break when I was about 18 and was a junior coach instead. I’ve only started training again this year. So eight years (but didn’t compete for over 3 years of that time.

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

When I first started cheerleading I joined GCA, I was also a junior coach there. I have very recently joined Phoenix all-stars adults team and they have been so accepting and welcoming of me and my wheelchair.

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

I wasn’t nervous for try-outs as I didn’t think that I would make the team. I really enjoyed it we started the morning doing the Cheer which was really fun as it’s not something I’ve experienced in all-star. We spent the afternoon doing stunts and a few tumbles.

Your favourite memory from being a part of Team England Para.

I’ve already had loads of great moments being a part of Team England Paracheer but my favourite so far has to be showcasing at Legacy.

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

We’ve had lots of funny moments at training. From the time the gym was infested with wasps to Charley’s road kill Halloween costume. Another funny moment was when we couldn’t work out why my wheelchair kept moving during stunts, then we realised that our back spot we moving it. And last training session when our back spot decided that enough was enough and bought herself some kneepads for when she’s stunting with me and my wheelchair. We’re always laughing at training though.

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

One adaptation that I find interesting although it’s not a stunt or tumble is how we adapt my wheelchair. My wheelchair usually has 2-foot plates which we take off as they would get in the way and two armrests, the right one has the joystick (how I control; and move my wheelchair) at the front. We started by leaving one of the armrests on and leaving the joystick there but our back spot kept accidentally moving my wheelchair by nudging the (very sensitive) joystick which isn’t great when you’re stunting. We finally came up with the adaptation of taping the control panel and joystick to the back right-hand corner of my chair near my right hip. It’s a little bit harder to control my chair but the joystick is out of the way when we’re stunting so no travelling stunts. Another adaptation I like is the handstand forward roll. I can handstand and roll out but my legs aren’t strong enough to let me stand up at the end so I handstand then come back down into a crouch position to mimic the roll position that some of the other athletes do.                                  An adaptation which is very specific to me is that in the partner stunt section I am not involved and go to the back of the mat, he is because my disability causes severe fatigue s not being in the partner stunt section allows me to have a rest period during the routine as well as during training.

What does worlds mean to you?

Worlds show me that I can still live my dream despite being ill even if I have to do it slightly differently to the way I imagined.

 

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

Go for it! You never know what might happen. Treat it as a workshop I’m sure you’ll learn a lot and have a great experience whether you make the team or not.

What will you miss about Team England Para Cheer and why.

I will miss the people and the supportive environment they create. We all believe in each other and support and encourage each other. The coaches push me to achieve the best I can while reminding me that it’s ok to take break and look after myself too. I’m doing skills I wouldn’t even attempt when I was healthy!

What are you most excited to experience at Worlds 2019?

I’m most excited to show the world what I can do as well as meet cheerleaders from around the world.

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

I’m really excited to see Team England Co-ed and all girl in the premier division. For all-star teams, I’m excited to see Unity Black from the UK and from the USA Cheer Extreme Senior Elite as I’ve loved watching their routines since I started to cheer.