By KEVIN TAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

IN case you didn’t know, Cheer 2013 has already begun! Cheerleaders in the northern region gathered last Sunday at the Han Chiang Hall in Georgetown, Penang for the annual Cheer Northern Region Finals.

We were given a preview of the legendary Cheer finals atmosphere at the event, which had the same enthusiastic cheerleaders, exciting performances and really loud screams from the supporters.

There were four teams at this year’s Northern Regionals – the Titans and Titans Junior from SMJK Ave Maria, Vivacious from SMK (P) St. George and Lachesta from SMK Convent Green Lane.

After each team had performed their thrilling routines, it was the mighty Titans who emerged on top, defending their title as champions of the north. Vivacious from SMK (P) St. George came in second, and Titans Junior, third. All three teams will now go on to perform at the Cheer 2013 finals, which will be held on June 29 and 30 at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur.

“Team Titans have very fast transitions, and they have a creative routine,” said Tan Yee Ming, vice president of the Cheerleading Association and Registrar of Malaysia (CHARM) and one of the judges of the competition.

She added that they did not get any infractions as they stuck by all the rules.

Titans captain Chai Joe Yee, 17, said they were lucky to have won again this year as they had to deal with a few last-minute injuries to their team members.

Chai Joe Yee. 17

“A few of them had to pull out because of the injuries, and we swapped members just two days before the competition,” said Chai, who added that it was already the third time they had swapped cheerleaders forin their routine.

However, their perseverance prevailed and pulled them through to the nationals, where they hope to place in the top five.

Tan’s advice for the three northern teams is to focus on delivering a solid and stable routine at the finals.

“The judges are looking for clean and solid routines. It is better to have a simple and stable routine than a difficult one that is not executed well,” she said.

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.