UTSC Cheerleading takes First Place

On January 25th, 2020, the UTSC Cheerleading Competition Team embarked on their journey to their very first competition, Winterfest, in St. Catherine's.

Until this point, this UTSC Cheerleading team was considered a club, consisting of a Performance team, which performed at basketball games, and the Prep team, which worked on building skills to transition to the Performance team. On Monday's, the Performance team would make their way down to the Beach Cheer Athletics gym, an established cheerleading sports facility, to be trained by one of their most successful coaches, Sheldon.

The idea of transitioning into a competition team was something that many wanted but did not think was possible. That is, until it was.

Around the last few practices of their 2018-2019 season, their coach Sheldon announced that he had been in touch with the Ontario Cheerleading Federation about the possibility of opening up a division for their team to compete in. The team was ecstatic about the news.

However, after communicating back and forth, the cheerleaders were informed that it was not possible to open up a Level 2.0 collegiate division. This did not stop Sheldon. His next plan of attack was to find a way for the team to compete Level 2.0 All Stars. This was a success! A few weeks into their 2019-2020 season, the team was informed that they would be competing at not one, but two competitions for their season!

The preparation began immediately. Strict attendance rules were set into place, new uniform designing began, and the team dynamic shifted. Everyone was set on bringing their A-game to every practice, and boy did that pay off!

As the first competition date neared, the stakes got higher. The routine was beginning to come together and the team was eager to perform. However, there was one problem. About two weeks before the competition day, it became clear that the new uniforms were not going to arrive on time. In attempt to find a solution, the Captains suggested that the Competition team borrow the old uniforms from the Performance team. With little time and preparation, the executive team was able to successfully organize a full uniform swap. The team was back on track once again.

On the day of the competition, feelings were everywhere. Some were nervous, some were ready, and everyone was excited to show the world what they had been preparing for months. When the time came, the team went onto the mat and showed the audience how it was done. The energy while performing was remarkable.

Then the results came in. The UTSC Cheerleading team hit ZERO! For those who don't know what this means, in cheerleading, hitting zero means getting NO deductions. Unbelievable! Their first competition and they hit perfectly.

The UTSC Cheerleading Team was competing in the International Open Level 2.0 Non-Tumble division (its a mouthful, I know). At this competition, they were competing against one other team.

After watching some of the higher level teams compete, the time had come for awards. Huddling together nervously, the team listened carefully to see who would be announced as the first place winner for their division.

Finally, the announcer yells into the mic, "And the first place goes to........ The University of Scarborough!". Close enough. The cheerleaders exploded in screams and hugs. The moment was surreal to experience. From going to a team that came from nothing to winning the very first competition they ever competed at. You had to be there to see it.

The team huddled around the first place banner, half of them crying real tears of happiness. Here's the picture:

The success of this team could not have been possible without their amazing coach, Sheldon, the executive team that worked overtime to help everything run smoothly behind the scenes, the hard work of every teammate, and the backbone of the team: the alumni that built it. Here's to many more first place wins!

P.S. @UTSC are we a real team now?

By Ellen Eshenko <3