The Fresher’s fair, a staple of the Fresher’s Week social calendar, is the place where societies come together in one loud and tightly squeezed sports hall. Navigating through the maze of coloured pin boards, enthusiastic society members and the occasional free pen, the sensory overload that is the Fresher’s fair is a chance to sign your name and join a new group of people. Societies range from traditional sports teams such as Football, Netball, Rugby, Gymnastics, Hockey and Cricket, to more obscure sporting groups such as Quidditch, Pole Dancing and Clay Pigeon Shooting. There are also academic groups such as the English Literature, History and Chemistry societies, as well as model UN and political groups like Conservative and Labour societies. Societies for international students and volunteer groups also make their annual show at the Fresher’s Fair. In short, if there is something that you’re interested in, there will be a society for it. I joined the Cheerleading team at both my undergraduate and postgraduate universities, and the following is an exploration of my experience as a competitive member.

Something new

As a former dancer, it was more than tempting to join my university’s dance society and continue to do something I spent the last ten years of my life doing. It wasn’t until I came across the Cheerleading stall that I realised that I could utilise my existing talents for something new. The prospect of combining my dance experience with tumbling and stunting (something I had only really seen in the Bring It On films) offered me a chance to challenge myself to try new things.

Competitiveness

Competing was an integral aspect to my dance career as a teenager. I spent all year preparing for the two week-long dance festivals that would take place during my October and April school holidays. Winning as a representative for my dance school was an integral aspect of my enjoyment for dance, as I revelled in the recognition of my hard work. Cheerleading at university was a way in which to gain a sense of competitiveness that was separate to my degree. During my time at the University of Manchester, I trained four times a week, including weekends. This commitment to trainings fuelled the competitive desire when it came to competition season, as all the hard work lead to one two and a half minute routine. As a representative of my university, I wanted to perform the best routine possible, a homage to the hard work my teammates and I had put into the late night and early morning trainings. Being competitive in something other than my degree meant that I was able to have a secondary focus, allowing me healthy breaks away from my gruelling assignment and reading schedule.

Organisation

Balancing university assignments, cheer trainings and a part time job meant that I had to organise my time both efficiently and effectively. This would often include concocting a strict plan of timings and deadlines each week to ensure that I could complete my university work to a high standard whilst also maintaining commitment to cheer and my job. Time constraints meant that I became more effective in identifying useful information and arguments when researching for essays and exams. So, not only was I able to develop my organisational skills, my academic skills also benefitted. Ultimately, my hectic third year schedule has helped prepare me for post-uni life. I know how to stick to deadlines and produce work of high standards whilst simultaneously maintain my external commitments.

Fundraising

One of the biggest problems that university cheerleading suffers from is the lack of funding. As a non-BUCS activity, receiving funding from the university or the student union can be difficult. Unfortunately, cheerleading can be an expensive sport. It requires specialist training equipment such as tumble tracks and sprung floors, uniforms (including special cheer trainers), competition fees (this can be around £25 per athlete), transport to and from competitions, music mixes for competitive teams, and either outside coaching or training for students. Thus, fundraising is an important part of being a university cheerleader. Some of the most successful ways of fundraising that I have been involved in include: bake sales, quiz nights, sponsored runs and hosting club events. Though it is perhaps viewed as an annoyance to have to fundraise for the club when other sports are funded by the university, the act of fundraising itself is valuable experience. Creating events, advertising, collaborating as a team and organising budgets is great for building the skills necessary for events-based jobs after university.

Friendship

By far the most valuable take-away from my time as a university cheerleader is the friendships. Being a member of a society allows you to interact with other students who you might not usually encounter. The majority of university friendships are largely based on either the friends you make on your course or the people that you live with. Being on the cheerleading team meant that I was able to befriend people on different courses in different year groups, with some of these people becoming my closest friends at university. Moreover, cheerleading is a great way to build friendships. Throwing people in the air requires a certain level of trust and communication. Having to work as a cohesive team in order to ensure the safety of another person is essential. You work hard so that you don’t let your team down. You win as a team and you lose as a team.