JUNIOR SPORT - North teams reap benefit of training

Northland cheerleaders have shown they are a match for anyone, after exceeding all expectations at the recent All-Star Cheerleading national championships in Auckland.
Coach Toni Wright, who runs the Dance N Cheer Studio where the teams train, said the teams had hoped of winning titles but it was still a surprise to see them do so well.
"We knew there was going to be tough competition and we didn't expect to do as well as we did," she said.
Probably the greatest achievement at the competition was the Fantasy Fairies placing first, beating four All-Star teams in the process. To top it off, the Fantasy Junior Shining Stars added another first place by beating eight All-Star teams.
There were over 500 cheerleaders and 1500 spectators at the competition.
Wright said the key to performing well as a team was commitment.
"A cheerleading team can't practise properly without everyone being there. You can't work on the stunts if one of your bases is missing or you haven't got a flyer," she said.
Wright said the four teams deserved every award they received for the way they trained in the weeks leading up to the competition.
"They trained so hard all through to the competition and it certainly paid off with us coming home with three first places and numerous third and fourths," she said.
The Whangarei school has five teams: Fantasy Fairies, Fantasy Junior Shining stars, Fantasy Junior Elite, Fantasy Senior Elite and also has a new edition, Fantasy Rising Stars.
The teams are competitive cheerleaders and do not cheer for sports teams, preferring to class themselves as athletes.
Cheerleading involves dance, gymnastics and aerobatic stunts and Wright said it is a lot of hard work and major body conditioning is involved.
The teams are now working toward future competitions, the Taranaki Invitational, New Zealand Invitationals and the big one, the All-Star Internationals, where teams from New Zealand and Australia will be competing, with the event televised on Sky Sports One at the end of the year.
"We are always welcoming new students to the Cheerleading and Hip Hop programmes and are offering all new students the opportunity to join the new Fantasy Rising Stars Team which is forming in the third term," Wright said.