No coach, no problem, as UCT Cheerleading Club elevates

A little over a year since the University of Cape Town (UCT) Cheerleading Club were crowned Varsity Cup rugby “cheerleaders that rock”, the group have found the spring in their collective steps to compete in tournaments and soar to new heights.

This year, they have strutted their stuff at the Western Province Majorette and Cheerleading Association’s (WPMCA) third regional competition in August, and more recently, the South African Majorettes and Cheerleading Association (SAMCA), held at UCT.

For the former competition, UCT competed at the tertiary level co-ed large cheerleading category and the tertiary level performance cheer (hip-hop). The club won first place for the co-ed large cheerleading category and placed third for the hip-hop section. They participated in the same categories at the latter competition, finishing third for the co-ed large cheerleading and seventh for the hip-hop section.

The good news didn’t end there for the team as four cheerleaders who received their provincial colours for the Western Cape performance cheer took part in a provincial category for the performance cheer.

Coach

Co-captain Thokozani Mdluli – a final-year Faculty of Humanities student – said, “The team was resilient and showed immense dedication to participate in the national competition. Practices were more intense and provoked my role as captain to be harsher to the team, which was challenging. The team rose abchove it all and delivered. I was filled with contentment representing the UCT Cheerleading Club with the routines we performed for nationals. I cried at some point when I was told by audience members that our team showed a great level of showmanship and that most of our stunts went up with little flaws.

“A major pat on the back for our team is that we did it without a coach, which still astounds me because of the accolades we have garnered throughout the year, even at nationals. South Africa is really growing the cheerleading industry, which is exciting because that is a professional sport. I hope the UCT Cheerleading Club will continue to elevate its stature and embrace its success and humble beginnings,” said Mdluli, adding that among the group, they have instilled values of good sportsmanship, while competing with an air of mutual respect.

“We are there to elevate the spirits of the people playing a game at that time.”

Last year, the team were crowned “cheerleaders that rock” during the Varsity Cup rugby tournament. This year, they placed third. For Mdluli, the team sees themselves as offering an entertaining support service for sports teams at UCT.

“The sport is about coming with cheers for our UCT players – across sporting codes – and to perform routines for them to boost morale. We are there to elevate the spirits of the people playing a game at that time. There’s dance, cheering, chants and gymnastics.”

Team choreographer and third-year Faculty of Law student, Tuseka Zondo said of her role: “I often doubt my worthiness of my position. Being surrounded by amazing and eager dancers is very intimidating when new work is being demanded of you every two-or-so weeks. I am constantly looking for inspiration on social media, whether that be American cheer teams, international dance teams (and soloists), or K-pop group choreography. Anything and everything that piques my interest, I’ll attempt to brainstorm and modify into the UCT Cheerleading Club style that has slowly developed in the past years.

“For any person wanting to be a choreographer, I think a love for music and dance is needed, [as well as] patience and understanding of other people’s dance skills and learning styles and being open to criticism and collaborative work.”

Trust

Canolia Hoofd, a second-year student specialising in choreography, has always wanted to be a cheerleader and when the opportunity arose last year for her to form part of the UCT Cheerleading Club, she was not going to let it slide. “I am a dancer, so coming into this space is a new, different flavour to what I want in dancing: I do contemporary, ballet and African dancing, but cheerleading has something of everything in it,” Hoofd explained.

“Becoming a cheerleader is about representing [the] university and I am really a person who likes to represent what I am at a different point in my life. The achievements this year and last year have been incredible.”

As a flyer, Hoofd made the point that it has a lot to do with trust. “Being a flyer was always my dream, but I was scared, so the cheerleaders in general build trust every time we compete, and every practice is a trust-building process for us and building that relationship (of trust) helps you extend [yourself] in everything you do in the cheer. The team has become a family,” she said.