Name Oliva

Team: Team Scotland Cheer – Junior Level 4 and Senior Elite

Position: Back Base (Jnr) / Side Base (Snr)

Age: 13 Years Old

Career Goal: I would love to be a School teacher and also coach Cheerleading and Dance when I am older.

Hi Olivia 

Hi Caroline

What does it mean to you to represent your country?

It is a huge honour to be representing Scotland at the ICU Worlds in Florida, this is the First Unified Team Scotland and to have been selected to be part of this is a dream come true for me                                                                                           

What do you most enjoy about Cheerleading?

I love being part of a team and supporting others, and making new friends, or should I say, family

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

I am strong as a base and feel that I am an excellent team Player, I love to encourage my teammates and push them on

How many years have you been on Team Scotland for?

This is my first year on Team Scotland

Why did you want to try out for Team Scotland?

I wanted to try out for the team as this was the first unified team to ever go to the Worlds and it had always been a dream of mine to compete at the Worlds, so this year I was of age to apply

Name a quote that keeps you motivated.

‘If you Don’t believe in yourself then no one else will do it for You’

this pushes me to stay focus and motivated on my goals

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

I love tumbling and stunts. My favourite tumble is round off, backflip, straight

Share something that makes you happy:

My teammates make me happy, they are also my friends for life and I could not have met a better bunch of girls, we are all so close and it has been amazing to go to competitions with our own individual team and see each other supporting the teams even when we have been competing in the same divisions.

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

I am really excited to See Team USA and also Team England as they have had lots of success at ICU in the past

 

 

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

I have been doing Cheerleading since I was almost 5 years old, so for 8 years now

Which team are you apart of or have you been previously apart of? I am part of the Junior Level 4 team and also Senior Elite, I originally auditioned for Junior cheer which I was selected for and then was later asked to join the Senior team as a reserve.  In January 2019 I was then told I was going to be a permanent athlete on the senior team, which has been just incredible.

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

It was very nerve-racking at the beginning as there were lots of athletes there, but I was really lucky to have 2 of my teammates from Solid Rock there too. We were all separated into groups and then had to perform a small dance section we had prepared on our own as well as stunts and tumbling.

 

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

The first highlight for me was to be chosen as the Vice Captain of the Junior Team, I have loved every minute it of this, then a few weeks ago I was nominated for

The Abbie Main Award for Rookie of the Year along with 2 other dance athletes, even to have been nominated for this awards was an amazing achievement and honour for me as there are so many fantastic athletes involved in the teams this year.

 

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

There have been loads of great memories over the months, from Team sleepover to the Christmas Lunch day out, the team is full of crazy fun loving characters and the coaches join in too,  My funniest thing, however, is when or Coach Sarah made us make up a warmup routine to the Venga boys, she just loves them

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

I have been working on my standing tucks all season and it has been so good to learn all the new Stunt skill levels for 4 and 5, like double downs

What does Worlds mean to you?

Worlds to me is a dream come true, ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to go to Worlds and never imagined it would be a reality at only 13 years old.  I will not be watching on the TV this year

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

No, I have never been to Worlds before, this is my first time and I know that I will learn many valuable lessons on this journey

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

Go and give it you’re all on the Floor, even just to go along to the tryouts is such an amazing experience, you will be nervous, but nerves are a good thing as it means you really care about what you are doing.

What will you miss about Team Scotland and why?

Training with Team Scotland has been the most amazing experience, I am going to miss my teammates and coaches the most, we have all built such an amazing bond together and I will be really sad to not see them every week at training.

What are you most excited to experience at Worlds 2019?

I cannot wait to go on the floor and perform in front of friends and my family.  I am also really honoured to have my pen pal from Chicago come along too, we meet through a facebook page that was trying to connect cheerleader around the world and I met Kaylee on this through our mums.  We have been chatting on Facetime and sending parcels for 4 years now and I cannot believe that we are actually going to meet, she is coming to Worlds with her mum just to support Team Scotland.

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

I cannot wait to Watch ADA Dark angels in Hip Hop, I have watched them at UK  competitions since I was young and the choreography and routines they put out are amazing,  I am also excited to Watch Unity, Coventry Dynamite and Crimson Heat, they are all amazing Teams that bring fire to the floor.  The International Teams I am most looking forward to seeing are Cali Smoed, Great White Shark and Top Gun, I have watched them on youtube and TV for many years and to actually go and support them and see the routines will be unreal

 

Olivia, it has been so lovely to hear the passion you have for your country and this sport. I wish you all the best at Worlds

If you want to follow Olivia journey make sure you go

Team Scotland Cheer and Performance Cheer 2019 on Facebook

 

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