Hello, we are St George’s Firebirds! We’re the UK’s only Healthcare Specialist University Cheer Team.

As a healthcare university we pride ourselves on the following strong values, running throughout our three
teams, which embraces inclusivity, familism and teamwork.

This year our Pom Team, Inferno and Level 2 non-tumble team, Ignite, united with our original Level 1
tumble team Heatwave. All these teams are set to compete this season on mat – it’s a big year of growth for the Firebirds.
Each month two committee members from SGSU Firebirds will write the monthly diary entries to ensure
you are kept up to date on what the Firebirds have been up to!
So, without further ado let’s get to know the Firebirds 22/23 committee.

To start our first diary entry, we thought after you have got to know the committee what better way to introduce you to the team by us telling you about what we as Firebirds are all about and recent events we have been up to!

The SGSU Firebird committee 2022-2023

Lily

Hi, I am Lily and I am the Firebirds President this season. I began my cheerleading journey two years ago when I joined a varsity team in my hometown after giving up acrobatic gymnastics which I had
competed in from the age of four. I decided it was time to try something new. As I joined university away from home, I wanted to continue my fitness and exercise and was instantly, having also been a
dancer, drawn to the idea of cheerleading. Soon seniors on the team took me under their wing and supported me not only through cheerleading by also academically and this resulted in me making some
of my best friends through the Firebirds. Being in my second year of university and studying Therapeutic Radiography cheer is very important to me as it is a way, I can rest from studying and find time to
socialize. I am very excited and honored to be Firebirds President this season with our team growing this year to me it’s important we remain just as close as a team and the bonds between the teams remain. Supporting each other not only physically through cheering but also mentally is very important to us
Firebirds. Bring on season 22/23!

Adam

Hi! My name is Adam, and I am the Captain of The SGSU Firebirds. I am a 3rd-year medical student here at St. George’s, and the experience of training and performing with this group of inspiring women and men has been unbelievable. No matter your age, gender, style, skills – this team has created an environment where everyone can express themselves and show what they’re made of. It’s my job to help boost our athlete’s confidence in themselves, focus their efforts and attention during training, and
help our coaches get their vision for the team across. This is only my second year in Cheer, so it’s a huge privilege to be part of the team and I’m excited for what we can achieve this competition season.

Libby

Hi everyone! I’m Libby and I’m the head cheer coach (I oversee Heatwave and Ignite). This is my 3rd year coaching for Firebirds, and I really think this is going to be our best season yet!
Alongside coaching our lovely cheer teams, I also study medicine and am in my 4th year. I have previously competed as an allstar cheerleader for nearly a decade with ICE athletics and Unity Allstars, but have taken a step back as an athlete this season to focus more on coaching! My goal for this season is to give both of my teams exciting and visually pleasing routines to make the
crowd say “wow”. The level of talent we have on our cheer teams is higher than we have ever seen, and I am so excited to see what they can achieve!

Ellie

Hello, my name is Ellie I am a final year medical student. I am the Head Coach of Inferno, our pom team.
My role includes choreographing a routine, leading training sessions as well as designing bows and uniforms. I have been part of the Firebirds since I started at St George’s (6 wonderful years ago). I have
also been part of committee for 4 of these years including roles such as the president and treasurer. I love this team, and the family I have found and I’m so excited to spend my final year coaching. This is Inferno’s first competitive season, and I want our debut to be flaming hot and to finish my Firebird
career with a bang! I’m so proud of how the Firebirds have grown over the past six years and I’m proud to be part of that journey by introducing Inferno to the cheer community!

Emily

Heya, my name is Emily, I am a 3rd year Bsc Biomedical science student and I’m the treasurer for the Firebirds this year. My role is taking care of anything to do with money, including collecting subs and paying for merch and uniforms. This is only my second year on the team but I absolutely love it, it really is like having a family away from home. I am on the Level 1 team as the shortest back spot and the Level 2 team as a base. This season I’m hoping to win a few competitions but more importantly to put out the best routine on the mat that we can. I want to walk off the mat and feel proud of our achievement as a team.

Megan

Hi I’m Megan and I’m a third year medical student. I am the secretary for this year and it’s my second year as part of the Firebird family!
My role as secretary includes a lot of organization and admin tasks such as planning committee meetings and keeping note of anything discussed. I can’t wait to see what this new year brings for us as a committee and team.
This year I am a flyer for both the level 1 and level 2 teams which is a huge privilege. This year especially I can really see the determination and strength from everyone on the team and I can’t wait to have the
best season yet! My goal for this season is to continue making the society feel inclusive and welcoming to all members, Firebirds have really shaped my time at uni and I hope I can do the same back.

Aurora

Hi my name’s Aurora and I am a 1st year BSc Clinical Pharmacology student, and I am the Assistant Coach for Firebirds this year. In this role I help teach the team new skills and give ideas to help and
support with the choreography.
I have previously competed at Kobika star lites, TCA, Chiltern Cheetahs and am currently a member of Unity allstars Smoke (level 4 NT) and am excited to start coaching.This is my first year on Firebirds and also on the committee and I am already loving it. As this is my first season coaching my goal is to make sure everyone becomes the best cheerleaders they can be, have fun
and maybe even bring home a win.

Isobel

Hi my name’s Izzy. After being made to feel so welcome into the Firebirds last season I returned to the team this year as one of the Social Secretaries to help build bonds within the team with fun socials. I hope the friendships created at these events will help us put out an amazing performance at comp
where everyone enjoys themselves and smashes their routine.

Lauren

Hi I’m Lauren and I’m one of the social secs. Along with another social sec, we put on socials every week to help bring all three teams together and for everyone to have a bit of fun. I am a second year med and this is my second year on the team This year I hope all teams form life long friendships through cheer and the socials and allow the team to grow stronger so we can all put our best performances out at completions.

Leonie

Hey, my name is Leonie and I am the Wellbeing Officer for the Firebirds. I’m the person to turn to when someone in the society has a problem or any worries. I aim to be someone to listen and support each
member of the team whenever they need. This is my second year with the firebirds, and my second-year cheering (my background is gymnastics). I am a base and tumbler on the level 1 team and love it! This year I want to help perform the best possible routine we can and to make some amazing memories
together as a team.

Veronika

Hey my name is Veronika and this year I am the Fitness Secretary for the Firebirds. I am a second year uni student studying BSc Clinical Pharmacology, meaning it’s my second year with the Firebirds and my first year on committee. My role is to work in partnership with our lovely Gymnastics Secretary to ensure our teams are competition ready with their skills! We hold a weekly additional training session where all 3 teams are
welcome and this makes a great environment to meet other teammates that you perhaps wouldn’t see as much otherwise.
So far we have focused on stamina, strength and conditioning in jumps, and flexibility. We have also held some fun themed sessions. One example was our joint yoga session with the Football society!
My goal for this year is for all our teams to smash their routines on the comp floor and hit ZERO. I want everyone to walk off knowing they did their utmost best and possibly even take home a win!

Simona

Hey my name is Simona! I’m a 2nd paramedic science student and I am the Gymnastics sec this year for the SGSU firebirds. In my role I work closely with the fitness sec to ensure the team has the best fitness level and gymnastics technique possible for competitions. This is only my second year on the team but the firebirds are just like family and made me feel welcome from day one. This year for the team I would love to see more team members finding their confidence with tumbling and improving our stamina so we can smash out our routines and hopefully hit zero on the comp floor!

Mae

Hello! My name is Mae, I’m a final year medical student. I am the tour secretary this year. I am responsible for organizing tour and making sure everyone has an amazing time when we’re away!
I have been on the team for all my 6 years at university. This year I really want to make sure this tour is
one to remember.
Being part of the society has really made my time at university such an incredible, accepting and happy experience. Full of incredible friendships and good times. I know when I go to training my day will be a little bit brighter and for that I’m always grateful.

Who we are and what we are all about!

With the start of the season kicking off with many socials and chances for the teams to get to know one another our amazing social secretaries Isobel Preece and Lauren Body have written our December diary entry.

Hi, we are Isobel and Lauren, and we are this year’s Social Secretaries!

Right from the start Firebirds have been built on the mindset of inclusivity, with this being written in to the constitution and that everyone who tries-out, makes a team.

The team has a large age range with the university consisting of 30% graduates with our teams’ ages ranging from 18 to 30 years old. Furthermore, both Heatwave and Ignite are co-ed teams and consist of students taking a wide range of courses within healthcare including Medicine, Paramedic Science, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomedicine, Therapeutic Radiography, Diagnostic Radiography and Physiotherapy.

In addition, our committee consists of members from First to Fifth Year, so we can be sure that the entire team’s voice is heard and appreciated.

Teamwork plays an obvious role in all cheerleading teams, but Firebirds go further by extending beyond the mat. We not only support each other through training and stunts but also academically and emotionally.

Our mat talk isn’t just exclusive to the gym and instead is projected through all aspects of our life, socials and our degrees. It’s also reflected in our academic performance with all Firebirds excelling on and off the mat.

As a team when it comes so getting support from our student union given that we are one of the biggest societies at St.Georges our SU pay a portion of our costs and as well as this promotes us on their website and social media.

Family and belonging are the pinnacle of SGULs values and is mirrored by us as Firebirds.Our university has a scheme in which First Year students (Fresher’s) are taken under the wings of senior Firebird students within a family program.

The family Turner was founded by our devoted Pom Coach, Ellie Buck, and all aspiring Firebirds are adopted in concordance. This has been extremely well received with First Year students quoting Turner and the Firebirds family as their main line of support throughout any struggles during university. 

In Freshers’ week, a social event is held within each family encouraging bridges to form between family members – something attributed to our unbreakable bonds. With the three teams, naturally there are different training times and speculation may allude to divides, however, we ensure weekly socials are maintained, where the entire Firebirds family can gather and get to know one another in more depth.

One of our most treasured socials this year had been pub golf. This is an annual classic occasion where all of the team gets together for some friendly competition. A special shout-out goes to the winners this year! Other socials of note have been UH night where all London medical school sports teams get paired-up and go for a curry, then eventually ending the night at Clapham’s renowned ‘Infernos’ club. This year we were lucky enough to be paired with Kings College London’s cricket team and Imperial College’s tennis team.

A new addition to this years’ calendar was the Pride Circles event. This was such a fun and enjoyable event and we are so incredibly proud of how many people came to support this activity. Other events included Halloween Sharks and Lifeguard’s Circles and 101 Dalmatian’s Fresher’s Circles which started the academic year off and was a great way to get to know members of the team.

We also organize non-drinking socials as we recognize not everything needs to revolve around alcohol and making sure everyone has the opportunity to be involved, our most recent event has been our annual Christmas dinner, which was great fun to enjoy together.

Until next month guys

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