Date: 14/07/2008
Chapel-en-le-Frith High School hosted Cheer Fest '08 as part of National School Sports Week and, to celebrate the finale of the first phase of the Big Lottery Funded Cheerleading Project.
The festival was organised by the High Peak Cheerleading Development partners, who included High Peak School Sport Partnership, High Peak Borough Council, St Philip Howard Sports College, Derbyshire Sport, and Loud and Proud Cheerleaders.
The funding for the project was secured by High Peak School Sport Partnership, through the Big Lottery Fund, and has, so far, resulted in more than 40 teachers from 25 local primary, secondary and special schools attending a UKCA (United Kingdom Cheerleading Association) Level 2 coaching course.
This enabled children and teachers from schools in the High Peak to experience cheerleading over six weeks of professional mentoring and coaching.
All schools involved were also given sets of cheerleading poms and asked to choreograph their own individual routine to perform at Cheer Fest '08. Each school adopted a cheerleading team name and made a banner to showcase their team.
The Cheerleading development group was proud to welcome Sue Campbell, Chairperson of Youth Sports Trust, to attend the event, in support of National School Sport Week.
Sue Campbell said: "It is fantastic to see so many girls and boys taking part in this event. Everyone involved in the project is highly motivated and the result is the creation of an electric atmosphere and a real feel good factor towards young people taking part in sport."
After all performances had taken place, Sue judged the banners and Tintwistle Ignition were declared the winner, each team member receiving a Cheer Fest '08 T-shirt.
One of the aims of the project was to create sustainable school club links to local cheerleading clubs.
Hannah Jones, head coach of the Loud and Proud Cheerleading organisation, has been delivering the coaching in schools throughout the project and is looking to develop clubs in the Chapel and Buxton area, alongside her already thriving Spirit Shockers club, in Glossop. For more details on getting involved in cheerleading, please contact Hannah Jones by email at spirit_shockers@yahoo.co.uk.
High Peak Cheerleading Development Group would like to thank Sarah Smith (High Peak Community Dance Coach / Cheerleading Co-ordinator) and Hannah Jones (Loud and Proud, Cheerleading Coach) for their commitment and professionalism throughout the project, which culminated in an excellent festival on Monday 30 June.
Photo (above): The Tintwhistle Ignition team wins the Design a Banner Competition.Photo (right): Representing the High Peak Cheerleading Development partnership, from left, Sue Campbell (Chairperson of the Youth Sport Trust), Sarah Smith (High Peak Community Dance Coach), Dawn Richardson (High Peak School Sport Partnership Development Manager), Hannah Jones (Head Coach of Loud and Proud Cheerleaders) and Chris Nightingale (High Peak Borough Council Sports Development Officer).