UEL Sirens participated in their first and only competition of the 2018/19 season on Sunday when they headed down to Five Lakes Maldon, Essex to compete in the, Future Cheer: Spotlight Showdown Cheerleading competition.
Practice Makes Perfect
The Sirens arrived early for the competition to mark the routine with the direction of UEL cheer coach, Robert ‘Rob’ Horton who was also at the event to support his club coaching side, Ascension Eagles.
Stunts such as the pyramid were of particular focus, as the Sirens struggled with the transition from the paper doll stunt, to the pyramid stunt during practice.
The east Londoners had one last test run minutes before they took to the stage where they practised the full routine, including stunts and tumbles.
Their competitors, Anglia Ruskin Sirens and WSIHE Wolves, representing the University of Chichester showed good sportsmanship as they applauded the Sirens when they completed their routine and as they hit the stage.
The Sirens entered the stage mat at approximately 12:05pm where they performed to a large room full of spectators and judges.
Although there were some minor errors in the routine, the stunts which caused some problems during training were executed meticulously.
The Results
At approximately 1:30pm, all the participants from the morning to afternoon competitions gathered on the stage mat to find out the results from their respective category.
The Sirens placed 3rd in the University Level 1 category, where they faced WSIHE Wolves and Anglia Ruskin Sirens, scoring a total of 79.08 points.
Just two points separated the Sirens from runners-up Anglia Ruskin Sirens. However, the Sirens managed to place 1st in the University All Girl Level 1 competition.
Score cards revealed the Sirens were scrutinised for their tumble run, receiving -0.3 points for body control and -0.3 points for landings.
Nevertheless, the team managed to turn things around with their dance routine which they learnt less than two weeks prior to the competition, scoring 9.5/10.
Coach Horton was also praised by judges for the creativity of the routine which he started choreographing in late October, earning a score of 9.4/10 for routine composition, with the judges adding “Routine composition, great job!” in their comments.
Speaking to Rising East, UEL cheerleading captain, Chloe Linham expressed her appreciation for the Sirens’ efforts, stating:
“I think the team did really well and gave their best on competition day!”
She went onto to add “The team only scored two points behind the second place team in the co-ed division, which is really great achievement for an all-girl, newly experienced team.”
Early Lead
Despite no competitions scheduled for the rest of the 2018/19 season, the Sirens returned to their training grounds, Talent Central on Wednesday to get a head start for the 2019/20 season.
