'We're not less athletic because we wear sparkles'
By Eleanor Shearwood
Unity Allstars Black have won back-to-back titles at the Cheerleading Worlds, the sport’s biggest competition.
This weekend the south London-based team begin their quest for the “three-peat” at the event in Florida.
For those not in the know, that’s cheer-speak for winning three times in a row.
While for some the stereotype of cheerleading as halftime entertainment during American sports remains, but it’s also a competitive sport in its own right.
And in the UK it keeps growing.
At tournaments teams square off, trying to impress judges with high-intensity routines involving acrobatics, dance and tumbling.
“My favourite part about cheer is the energy,” says Caitlin Pretious, one of the athletes in team Black.
“I’m a very energetic person and finding a sport to channel that is quite tricky. Cheerleading has been a blessing.”
