University Cheerleading is ever-growing in the UK. With more universities creating teams and attending competitions, it is becoming more recognised as an official university sport. This means more students are getting involved and falling in love with the sport. It also means there are many
University students who don’t want to leave cheerleading behind when they finish University, resulting in many converting to All Star cheer when they have graduated. Traditionally cheerleaders start out in All Star cheer from a young age or get into the sport through gymnastics or dance. This means they’ve been involved in All Star a long time before they reach
university and they do University cheer as an extra or a replacement once they get there. However, due to the fact the sport is growing, the tables are starting to turn, and University cheer is becoming the thing that introduces people into the wonderful world of cheerleading. Personally, I began cheerleading in an All Star setting after many years of gymnastics. I was fortunate enough to get the whole all-star experience. I started at level 2 and worked all the way up to compete at the world championships. I then went to University after this and it was no longer practical for me to continue in the All Star world during my time there due to location, time and costs, so of course, I joined my University team.

I did get back into All Star Cheer through University cheer for a short period during my time at University. Due to our lack of cheer facilities at University, we were close with All Star team White Rose Cheer, they helped us out and we hired their floor out for practises sometimes. I would say that this is great way to join an All Star team after you finish University if it is something you are interested in. There were a good few members of my University team who decided they wanted to
do this, and because we had built a relationship with this team, it was a great way in. The girls that decided they wanted to start All Star already knew some of the coaches, where the gym was, and had seen some of the other teams training, so it wasn’t all scary and brand new.

If your University team has a partnership with an all-star team, and you want to continue to cheer after you graduate,
I would highly recommend getting in contact with the team to find out how you can do so.
If this isn’t the case, then it is still easy for you to get involved in All Star cheer. If you know where you are going to be based after University, then have a look online and across social media to find
which All Star teams are based in the area. If it’s not already been advertised on their social media, then drop them an email or a message about their teams, find out as much as you can to ensure the
team is going to be the right fit for you, then prepare for try outs. The majority of programmes will find a place for you on at least one team in their programme and then your All-Star experience
begins.

If you are joining University Cheer and are brand new to the sport, with no background in any type of cheer, gymnastics or dance, you probably don’t have much tumbling, if any. This is the case with many people joining cheer at University. Many Universities also don’t have the facilities to be able to
teach tumbling either, especially not to a higher level. This may mean that you leave your University team with very minimal tumbling skills.
If this applies to you, here is the advice I would give you.

If you are serious about joining All Star after University, then go to as many open gyms as you possibly can. This will give you the opportunity to
use a safe sprung floor so you can learn skills you wouldn’t be able to at University. At these open gyms ask people around you, they will be more than likely willing to help you and give you some tips.

Make sure you also work on all your other skills (jumps, dance and stunting) because these are just
as important and will help to show your potential. If you really don’t think tumbling is for you, have a look to see if there are any non-tumbling teams you could join, or any teams where they are maybe looking for athletes with specific strengths in other areas. You should also ask yourself if you are prepared to maybe drop a level when you move to All Star, this may be the best option for you so that you can learn and perfect tumbling skills at a lower level and be ready to move up the season after.
I think it really comes down again to how much work you are willing to put in. If you are willing to put in practise in your own time, seek out help and trust the team selection process, there is no reason why you can’t get to where you want to be. Many All-star teams also offer extra/private
tumbling classes if you really want to fast track your skills. Like the majority of cheerleading it is all about mindset and ambition.

If you are considering starting University cheerleading or crossing over to All Star from University.

Here’s an insight into how World Champion athlete Laura Wordley, who started out on her cheerleading career whilst she was at University .

I asked Laura “What made you join cheerleading at University?”
She replied “I had been a gymnast since the age of 4 so firstly chose my university based on whether it had good gymnastics facilities which the University of Birmingham did. I was looking to try something different and I think had seen a couple of promotional videos of cheerleading which really interested in me.  It was such a great transition for me as I could still incorporate all of my gymnastics skills as well as trying a lot of new things. I loved the fact that it was a team sport and I could meet so many new people. I went to trials and was put as a flyer where I flew my first prep and I instantly fell in love!

The feeling of adrenaline of being lifted and putting my trust in others and becoming successful was amazing.”
She then told me how she felt University Cheer set her up for All Star Cheer.
“University cheer definitely set me up well for All Star cheer! At the time we had a coach who was competing for a high level and had competed at the world championships. She was very strict which meant I was well disciplined with cheer from the get-go.  I learned the basics solidly from the
beginning because I was coached well. When I transitioned to All Star, I had only flown level 3 stunts. 

(below is video of Laura and her team Birmingham Pussycats) 

I did still find the transition to All Star very different.  When I tried out for Coventry dynamite back in the 2012/2013 season it was their first season attending the world championships, so the intensity of training was a lot different. At university there is a large proportion of being on the team related to being social, making friends and having a good time whereas when I moved to Coventry, I found that the drive was completely different. All of the athletes there wanted to be the best that they could be, and the coaches wanted perfection. Training sessions at Coventry were 4 hours which was a big jump from a maximum of 2 hours stunting at a time at university. I will definitely say though that if I hadn’t had the university cheer experience then I don’t think I would be the athlete I am today as the initial groundwork was there.”

I continued to ask Laura “When did you realise you wanted to go further with your cheerleading and actually join All Star?”

She answered “The first time I realised that I wanted to join All Star was when I competed at Future cheer Saturday night fever in 2012.  At this competition Unity Black which at the time were coed level 6 showcased their routine.  I couldn’t believe how good they were and how high level the stunts were. From then I fell in love with cheer! I researched cheer teams and watched a lot of YouTube videos and longed to be as good as the flyers on Unity black.  I then began to research teams which were nearby that were a higher level and that’s when I found Coventry Dynamite.”

I asked Laura “How do you feel University cheer differs from All Star Cheer?”

Laura said “I mentioned this briefly in an earlier question. I think the main difference is the mentality, experience and drive of athletes. I remember at university there was a lot of emphasis on socials as well as cheerleading and we were expected to go out every week.  Some people on the team had
previous experience from All Star cheer and others had never done it before which meant that standards and drive differed within the team due to the mixed experience.  It is also hard to maintain the standard year on year as a lot of people leave every year and you never know what the talent will be every year.  During the start of the season it can be quite scary at uni cheer as people aren’t used to basing/flying and catching when things go wrong.  I found in All Star cheer that the intensity and drive of athletes was a lot higher and everyone was working towards the same goal.”

I then asked, “Which one do you prefer and why?”

Laura replied “It’s so hard to say as I loved my experience in both! Because I had never done All Star cheer before university, I absolutely LOVED being part of Birmingham pussycats. When I think back to university the first thing I think about was how many amazing experiences I had with uni cheer. I made friends for life and ended up living with some of my teammates for my second and 3rd year. If I hadn’t had my uni cheer experience I would never been drawn to All Star cheer.

I now LOVE All Star
cheer because it has taken me to so many amazing places! I have competed at nationals and the
world championships.  Since starting at Coventry Dynamite when I was 19, I have gained so many new skills and have gained so much confidence!  Sometimes it is mentally and physically draining but the rewards are so worth it!”
I then wanted to find out if she thought anyone could progress from University Cheer onto All Star?
She said “Definitely! It’s all about mindset! If you want it and I mean really want it and are willing to
put in the hard work then you can definitely get there and achieve great things!”
I know some people may think that they are too old to start All Star after University so I asked Laura

“Do you think it makes a difference joining All Star at a later age?”

Laura’s answer was “Not at all! I had never even heard of cheerleading before university and I have been so lucky to now have had the opportunity to compete at the world championships 6 times and also be a part of the National Team 4 times!”

I then wanted to find out if she ever saw herself attending the world championships multiple times
whilst she was at University.
She answered “Not at all! Honestly it was like a dream to me and I used to look at athletes who had
that opportunity as celebrities! I used to watch so many videos from worlds and dream that one day I

would get there.  I remember being so so so excited when I found out that I had made the final team
for Coventry Dynamites first worlds team!”

Finally I asked, “What advice would you give anyone wanting to progress into All Star?”

She said “Go for it! Don’t let anyone make you think that you aren’t good enough and that you can’t
do it! If you have the drive and determination and are willing to put in the hard work, then you will get there! Seek advice and talk to others, that will be a real help.” So, to anyone considering starting University Cheerleading, or wanting to progress further with their
cheerleading then I would say do it! I think that All Star can be more of a commitment in terms of
time, commitment and money, but if you love your sport, then it is unquestionably worth it. If you put in the hard work and commit anything is possible, and Laura, amongst many others are living
proof of that!

If you want to keep up with Laura’s cheerleading journey, then you can follow her on Instagram
@lollie181

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