IF you ever needed any proof of how passionate Malaysian cheerleaders are about the sport, all you’d have to do is check out the applications for the first ever CHEER Foundation grant.
Judging for the grant took place here at Menara Star, Petaling Jaya last week, and boy did the students go all out in their application videos and essays.
Tough call: Lee, Wong and Yee judging the applications for the CHEER Foundation grant. Cheerleading teams from across the country applied for the grant, which will see three teams receiving RM10,000 each. Photos: CHAN TAK KONG/The Star
With three grants worth RM10,000 each up for grabs, it’s no surprise either!
That kind of funding could help develop the sport in their schools for years to come. The teams could afford more safety mats and professional coaching, and perhaps more importantly, give them the validation they need in schools where cheerleading is still not taken seriously.
The teams that applied were judged not only on their videos and essays, but also their past cheerleading achievements and academic performance.
“The CHEER Foundation grant has been something we’ve been looking into for a long time,” said R.AGE editor Ian Yee, who was part of the judging panel alongside Star Publications content development COO June H.L. Wong and Jeanette Lee, head of U Mobile’s marketing communication, brand and digital marketing division. U Mobile was the co-sponsor of CHEER 2014.
“Over the years, we’ve seen some very talented, very passionate teams, but they don’t get to chase their dreams just because they don’t have the funding, or because their schools don’t think cheerleading is a sport,” added Yee. “Hopefully, this grant will change all that.”
With so many deserving teams submitting their applications, the judges had a tough call on their hands.
“We didn’t want to just pick the team with the best skills. We looked for determination and potential as well,” said Yee.
Lee was representing U Mobile, who gave a huge boost to the Malaysian cheerleading community last year when they co-sponsored CHEER 2014.
The judges submitted their scores after almost three hours of deliberation, and if you wanna know the results, you’ll just have to say tuned!
We’ll be announcing the three winners both here and on the CHEER website (rage.com.my/CHEER). You could also follow CHEER at facebook.com/TheStarCHEER.
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