Shropshire cheerleading squad heading to Florida Championships following Telford appearance

It was their final chance to test their best moves in front of a live audience before heading to Disney World in Orlando, Florida for the World Cheerleading Championships later this week.

They performed at one of the biggest events in the cheerleading calendar, The BCA Cheer and Dance Championships, which takes place at Telford's International Centre.

The team, which includes girls from Bridgnorth and Telford, will take feedback from judges at the show before it heads to America at the end of the week.

Rachael Swinnerton, the team coach for Team England, said: "We've got a team of 16 girls going to America to represent their country next weekend. It's going to be an amazing experience for them.

"We were invited to show everybody at BCA what we're going to do when we're in America. We'll give them a sneak peek, and the judges here will give us some critique so that the girls know what they need to look for in their training."

Rachael is also the programme director at Cheerforce, a group based in Ketley, Telford.

Pressure

A number of her teams performed over the weekend.

"We've got a tiny team that went on the floor – they've never done that before, so it was interesting for them. We had junior teams as well.

"We won a lot of titles at the nationals last year, so the pressure is on to make sure we retain them this year.

"The standards are a lot higher this year. The kids know that, and that's why they're putting in a lot of extra training.

"There's a lot more entries. The cheerleading community wants to compete against the best, and so more groups are coming forward. It's all good and well saying you've won if it's an easy competition.

"That's why this is so exciting – I get to see how they've progressed."

Each group has two and a half minutes on the stage, bringing together literally hundreds of complicated stunts.

Combining lifts, back flips and a whole host of physically difficult manoeuvres, any single slip-up can have a massive knock-on effect on the team's all-important final score. "In those two and a half minutes, something that you could have done a million times could go wrong," Rachael said. "You just never know what's going to happen.

"And some of the girls were part of different groups, so they had to perform for two and a half minutes, get changed and be back on stage. It's all fun and games!"

"As the coach, I have lots of assistant coaches and I couldn't do without them. We have lots of parent captains who come and help as well. It really is one big organisation.

"It all gets a bit crazy, but it's lovely. And that goes for the other teams as well. I've been doing this a long time, so you get to know the other coaches – it becomes almost like a second home. You're against the other teams, but they can be your best friend as well, and they'll support you when you're on the floor.

"If something goes wrong, they'll cheer from the crowd to let you know that you can do it again. It's a fantastic atmosphere."

It's a sport that takes a lot of dedication, but it's effort that Rachael said her team are happy to put in. When we go to America, I've been saying that I'd just like to have one day to myself to take my little girl to Disney," she said. "This is all I do, but the girls are like it as well.

"They all live for it. They love it, they train every day."

For more information or for details on joining Cheerforce, visit cheerforce.co.uk/

The BCA Cheer and Dance Championships have been taking place in Telford for the last eight years.

There were performances from groups as young as five, while teams from schools and universities competed for trophies, cash prizes and bragging rights.