CHRISTINE CHEAH alltherage@thestar.com.my
AS one of the country’s most popular radio deejays, Jeremy Teo hosts dozens of events a year.
The Cheer national finals, however, holds a special place in his heart.
Teo has hosted annual cheerleading event for the past four years, and yet he still looks forward to it every time the competition comes around.
“The adrenaline of the fans, and the sense of sportsmanship and unity, is just amazing,” said Teo, who hosts the Red Rave from 10am to 2pm every weekday on Red FM.
He isn’t the only Cheer host to have caught the Cheer bug.
Before him, celebrity host Soo Kui Jien hosted the show for eight consecutive years – even after he moved to Singapore and was flying all around the world as a sports channel host.
But in 2009, Soo passed the baton to Teo after hosting his last Cheer finals, saying it was time for some fresh blood to take over the show.
Since then, Teo has hosted the event with a different co-host every year.
Red FM deejays – Jeremy Teo and Linora Low
At Cheer 2013, which will be held at Stadium Putra, Kuala Lumpur this weekend, he will have the perfect partner for the job – former rhythmic gymnast and fitness freak Linora Low, a fellow Red FM deejay.
“I would have joined cheerleading if they had it in my school,” said Linora, who was once the sports girl of the year at her school, Sekolah Sri Utama in Wangsa Maju, KL.
“I definitely appreciate the effort the cheerleaders put in for their performances.
Those hard core stunts aren’t easy! It takes a lot of practice and workouts, especially to strengthen the core, to be able to do those high-flying stunts,” she added.
Low first got into radio in 2010 when she won a talent search by Red FM.
These days, she’s known as the unofficial fitness guru of the station.
It is a good thing that Low is into fitness and health because she definitely will need lots of stamina at the Cheer 2013 finals.
Those who have attended the event will know that the arena will be jam-packed with energetic teenagers and non-stop energy all around.
The hosts will have plenty of prizes and freebies to give away to members of the audience, and with an estimated 10,000 supporters expected to fill the stadium, it will be no easy task.
But as a fan of Malaysian secondary school cheerleading now, Teo is looking forward to more than just the electrifying atmosphere and fun games.
“The cheerleaders always wow me with their stunts. They seem to be flying higher and higher every year!” he said.
“They always come back with more extravagant stunts, and that’s what everyone wants to see.”
* Cheer 2013 is organised by R.AGE and presented by MARIGOLD HL Low Fat Milk. Silkygirl is the main sponsor and Sugus is the co-sponsor. Red FM is the official radio station.
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