We would absolutely recommend Ella to any team!

Welcome back to our article! This month we thought we would share with you, before all the pre-cheer season talk begins, some Firebird memories and throwbacks both on and off mat. As well as this we thought we would keep you up to date on what we have been up to behind the scenes!

We are Lily (President) and Ellie (Inferno Pom Coach) and supporting our team, not just physically through stunting but also emotionally is our main aim. Having all belong to St. Georges University of London, entering medical and healthcare careers can be daunting and full on – and this is where our family like ethos comes in! But this is not a new revolution for us Firebirds, from day dot the Firebirds were cheering for one another in aspects.

So here a little bit of our cheer story… Firebirds were founded initially in April 2009 named under the SU constitution SGUL (St. Georges University of London) Firebirds Cheerleading Squad. Soon after, they came together to compete at their first ever competition, UKCA Cheerleading competition in 2010. This was their first of many big events!

Several years later in 2015 the Firebirds absorbed the gymnastic society and came to form SGSU Cheer and Gym (IG: @SGSUCHEERANDGYM) – this meant the team was now larger and had many more athletes, all with varying skills ready to bring their A-game to the mat.

Season 2016/17 was a big year for the Firebirds, and this is where it got really real. There was a uniform change, and a sponsor came to light (Palmerston Veterinary Group) as well as competing at level 2 for the first ever time! The comp season was on and Firebirds pathway with Legacy competitions soon began. Soon enough, in season 2018/19 Firebird became undefeated securing a bid to Battle of the Championships.

Season 2019/20 soon lapped around, and two competitive cheer squads were formed under the Firebirds, the team grew bigger than ever and or stunt were being thrown across the mat.

A competitive Pom Team soon formed under our formed Pom Coach Ellie Buck in 2020//21, a whole routine was choreographed, and uniforms purchased. The team were competition ready… then Covid struck. The team continued to practise on zoom calls with the hope of eventually competing. They kept morale and team spirit high during the pandemic.

2021/22 was a year for a large Level 1 team – Heatwave was born! Heatwave won the performance award at Legacy Alpha and Omega; they really brought their A-game to the mat to make their name known.

… so that leads us too now. 2022/23 a year that Firebird has been at its largest with a Level 1 (Heatwave) and Level 2 (Ignite) cheer teams and the re-introduction of the pom team (Ignite).

Now for some manifestos and memories from Firebird Alumni:

“Hello! I’m Ellie, Firebirds alumni! I would never have known when joining but the friends I made as a little Firebaby are some of my best friends now, and I know they will be for life! I was part of the Firebirds for 4 years, including a year as Captain and a year as President. I loved being part of the committee, getting into the behind the scenes of how a cheer society runs was amazing, busy, and a couple of years I’ll never forget! It makes me so, so proud to see how much the squad has grown – I can’t believe there’s 3 teams now! It’s lovely to see the same traditions are being upheld, and the teams going from strength to strength, both in terms of technical performance and in friendship. I can’t wait for the team to experience competition season either for the first time or as seasoned cheerleaders, GOOD LUCK FIREBIRDS!” – Ellie Corkerry

“My year as vice cap of the firebirds 2018-2019 was one of my favourites, a day fulfilling years at uni. We were so lucky to have the most incredible dedicated and talented team (as was shown in our undefeated title) and I truly made friends for life. I’m so proud to see what the firebirds have done since and can’t wait to see more in the future 💚💛” – Mary Gare

Hi, my name is Lucy, and I am a flyer on the level 1 team, Heatwave. I first started cheerleading in 2015, and have been with the Firebirds since 2018. I have met the best people over the years, and over our three teams.

I graduated last year in cardiac physiology, and decided that I just love learning, so here I am, back for another two years to do my MSc in sports cardiology. 

I have an immense interest in sports, and was the teams fitness secretary for the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From a fitness sec prospective, the pandemic posed many challenges, as the whole point of the fitness sec is to keep all our teams stamina up, so we’re ready for our competitions, however, there was no face to face communication to be able to build that drive to do so. 

As for our cheer sessions, I remember having to attend them from my kitchen because they were taught from Teams, which as you will all know, is an absolute nightmare to try and teamwork, and build relationships and rapport with the rest of the team from a computer screen. I think that was the biggest challenge for me, and I am very grateful that we are all back together again ready for the best season the Firebirds have had, but we couldn’t do it without our amazing internal and external coaches for all the continuous support.

What has been happening recently?

Inferno, our pom team, visited Brunel as part of their annual showcase. As this was our first time attending, we were incredibly excited. We have not attended before due to clashes with other events so we were thrilled the date worked for Inferno this year. Additionally, this was the first time the team had been on an almost full floor, in their uniforms with a large audience.

The brand-new uniform, which was announced on our Instagram in January, looked showstopping, the gleam and glitter that was viewed with every pirouette, twirl and jump really added to the essence and aesthetic of the routine. The whole team love their gold and black catsuits, paired with the white iridescent accents of poms and bows.

We both suggest you check out the reveal video!

They received such a warm welcome from Brunel and we just want to say a huge thank you for the opportunity. I am very pleased to say they absolutely smashed it, and since, have been making upgrades and cleaning before their competitive debut. It was a learning experience, including the competitive warm up, having a crowd there as well as getting ready with the team. We sadly had an issue with the music volume however in true cheerleading style the crowd clapped every count for the full 2 mins and 15 seconds.

Something we have been working on is our spacing so seeing the depth of a full floor really helped the girls prepare for competition. Comments from the crowd include: “Aren’t they incredible” – we may be bias but we think so! This includes increasing our tricks and skills within the routine, there may be a few lifts!

Heatwave, our level 1 co-ed team, have finished their routine including a sassy dance choreographed by Coach Libby.

They are working so hard in training ready for their first competition 11 feb 2023. As a team made from mainly freshers, they have come so far in only 4 months to have a competitive routine ready. They have fantastic team spirit; cheer really has helped many of the freshers find a sense of family. I know that Lily and I can both agree, Firebirds really do create a family. They have been enjoying sessions on the full floor at UHQ in Morden, it gives the team something to look forward to as their jumps become 2x higher and so do their smiles!

Ignite, our level 2 non-tumbling team, have had the privilege of meeting with End Choreo’s

Ella who choreographed their showstopping dance section to their routine. It is an unbelievably fierce end to their jam-packed routine really bring the sass, power and energy to the mat with both stretches and stunts.

We would absolutely recommend Ella to any team!

The team all travelled to Ella’s Gym located in Croydon, it was great change of scenery and a chance to practice on sprung floor with mirrors so we could really see the visuals that were being crafted.

The session consisted of an energetic warm up and stretch – vital for the routine we were about to learn. Ella demonstrated the routine she had choreographed, and we slowly began to break it down learning each fast moving eight-count in more small sized sections.

Through this we perfected each count, accentuated the formation and Ella was extraordinary at adapting to the teams’ strengths and talents.

Differentiating levels and heights also added to the effect! As a team we all worked hard to clean the routine and to ensure we would do both Ella and our coach Libby proud at our upcoming competitions. To any cheer teams we highly recommend Ella as a choreographer if you are hoping to really bring the energy and sass to the floor to gain top marks on mat!

This week the squad have a showcase for their friends and family within our sports hall. This will be a fantastic opportunity for the team to warm up and bring the heat before the weekends competition Legacy Just Believe. I know the whole team cannot wait to show off their routines on home soil before heading on the tube to Stratford. We are hoping for a large turnout, including the other St George’s societies to be in attendance, the atmosphere will be buzzing!

We are sending the best of luck to the Firebird squad before their first competition in the Copper Box Arena next weekend. Legacy competitions are always incredible, such enthusiasm and community from the whole team. We have been warming up our Wobble ready to hit the competition floor!

Lots of love,

Ellie and Lily x