July 19, 2013
EMOTIONS at CHEER 2017 ran the gamut from cheers to tears as 30 of Malaysia’s best high school and college cheerleading teams gathered to stunt their way into the CHEER hall of fame. The display of talent was awe-inspiring – technically flawless flips, twirls, and tosses abounded – but of the 30, four of the […]
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It’s tough being a male cheerleader, writes EDRIE AZRIFF, captain of the Cheer 2013 Co-Ed Division champions Mickeymitez.
By EDRIE AZRIFF
CHEERLEADING is all about never giving up, and giving your best in everything you do.
Some people think it’s just an activity for “popular” girls and effeminate boys, but no. It’s about passion, putting your heart and soul into training and pushing your limits for almost an entire year, all to perform a two-and-a-half minute routine.
My team, the Mickeymitez (from SMK Damansara Jaya, Selangor), was founded as an All-Boys team three years ago, and our first competition was Cheer 2010 at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. We won the Best Newcomer Award while our sister team the Dynamitez finished third in the overall category.
We went through many obstacles that first year, especially as an All-Boys cheerleading team, which people often find harder to accept. The other students in our school just didn’t think it was normal.
But after months of practice and hard work, things got better. Our teachers, parents, fellow students and even people from other schools started showing us support. Our coach, Mr. Chong, also played a huge role in helping us through those tough times.
In our second year as a team, we entered the new Co-Ed Divsion of Cheer 2011 filled with hope that we could go all the way – and we did. We brought the Co-Ed Division trophy back to our school.
Unfortunately, in 2012, we couldn’t defend our title as Zodiac Co-Ed (from SMK Kepong, Kuala Lumpur) delievered a better routine and won.
But we didn’t let that keep us down. We used the defeat as motivation to strive harder. We only had a few weeks’ rest after that, and then we started recruiting new members for Cheer 2013.
Mickeymitez 2013 has the most determined members. As the captain, I am really proud of all of them.
We started practice last year, mid-September. We did strength work at every session, and we also did a lot of basic cheerleading training because more than half the team were juniors.
But with help from my co-captains, senior cheerleaders and our coach, we were able to make great progress. By the end of 2012, we were already hitting stunts that we weren’t even planning on trying!
We held practice four times a week during school weeks and every day during holidays. Despite the long hours, we made sure academics was always our number one priority.
By the time 2013 came around, cheerleaing season simply couldn’t come quickly enough. We were counting down the days left to the Cheer 2013 finals, practising all our stunts and running through our routine over and over again.
We had to go through a lot of struggles and injuries as well, and some even quit the team. But for most of us, giving up was not an option.
I kept telling the team: “When you think you can’t push yourself any further, think about what makes you proud to be a cheerleader, and show everyone what you’re made of.”
By April 2013, we were mostly just working on our routines. Like all the other teams in Cheer, we faced injuries, and we had quite a few close to the competition dates as well.
I always remind the team: “You can’t possibly stick the stunt if you’re thinking of all the possible ways you could fall.”
In cheerleading, you have to be strong mentally and physically. You must always accept comments and criticism. That’s just the way life is, and no one can argue with that.
Being the captain of the team also allows me to help others reach their true potential. I get to move people around within the team until they’re in what I call their “strength zone” – the place where talent meets passion, where you achieve fulfilment and excellence.
Every time before we did a full-out routine, we would form a circle and have a talk to motivate each other. We would remind each other – pain is temporary, pride is forever.
Our goal at Cheer 2013 was simply to hit our routine, and take back what’s ours – the Co-Ed Division trophy.
Unfortunately, we had a fall on the first day of the finals, and another on the second day. We also had injuries during the backstage practice, but nothing was going to stop us from giving our best performance.
In the end, that was good enough to push us all the way to the top, and we were able to reclaim our title as the country’s best secondary school Co-Ed cheerleading team.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our school, parents, teachers, friends, seniors, coach and our amazing team of supporters, Dynamick. Words can’t describe how happy we are, and how thankful we are to have such amazing people around us.
As the captain, I would like to thank my team for the past nine months of hard work. You have given me happiness throughout the entire time, and I will always remember our pledge – “more than a team, closer than a family”.
Cheer 2013 was organised by R.AGE and presented by MARIGOLD HL Low Fat Milk. Silkygirl was the main sponsor and Sugus was the co-sponsor. Red FM was the official radio station.
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