You know what you learn after spending a week in a foreign land with a team of hardcore cheerleaders? Here’s what I learnt:

1) The sport is physically demanding.
2) It is also mentally challenging.
3) Man, it is rewarding!

Last month, R.AGE was lucky enough to tag along with the Awesome Legends All-Stars cheerleading team as it went to Gold Coast, Australia for the 2014 Australian All-Star Cheerleading Federation (AASCF) National Cheer and Dance Championship Finals.

“Our goal is to keep this team together for at least the next two years and send them to the United States for the World Cheerleading Championship,”

The team, sponsored by AirAsia X for AASCF, is one of the most established teams in Malaysian cheerleading. But their current lineup was assembled just three months before the finals, so there was a lot of weight on its shoulders.

Yet, Awesome Legends was incredibly focused and determined to make its mark Down Under, even though challenges and obstacles littered its path. This R.AGE reporter, in particular, was incredibly impressed!

The current Awesome Legends roster may be only three months old, but they were exceptional at the AASCF

Arduous journey
Awesome Legends is not new to the AASCF, having been a part of the Melbourne instalment last year. But, for all intents and purposes, its current roster was brand new, as more than half of its members were fresh recruits from Malaysia’s ever-growing competitive cheerleading scene.

“That was one of our biggest challenges, actually. More than half of the cheerleaders were from our junior team, and had to learn a level five routine within three months,” said coach Lim Chee Wei from local cheerleading company Cheer Aspirations.

“Aside from having to get used to a different competition format, their stamina was thoroughly put to the test as our routine was packed with tougher stunts.”

This year’s team was one of the youngest in terms of experience to carry the Awesome Legends name in the four years since its inception, Lim added. Only six of the 24 cheerleaders had international experience. The rest were virtual first-timers, aside from having competed in neighbouring Singapore.

“This level five routine we put together was not easy at all,” said Awesome Legends captain Chong Jin Kan, 23. “It was especially hard since most of the team only started cheerleading less than a year ago!”

Their trip to Gold Coast was a work hard, cheer hard affair as they raced straight from the airport to the gym to practice their routines.

To ensure the team was well prepared and comfortable with the higher skill cap of level five stunts, Lim had everyone undergo intensive training sessions both before and during their Aussie trip.

That included a training schedule of eight hours a week, divided into three sessions. It didn’t stop there – upon reaching Gold Coast, the Awesome Legends went straight from the airport to the Zoo Athletics gym to practice.The regimen continued for two days, until it was time to flex their new-found skills at the competition proper.

Nerves of steel
The AASCF Finals was a massive event. To put things into perspective, there were a total of 126 staff, 52 judges, 7,526 cheerleaders and 1,226 routines over three days.

With an event of that magnitude, it’s hard not to imagine the young team of Awesome Legends feeling a little intimidated. But the team held it together with nerves of steel to put on an *ahem* awesome performance.

“Aside from having to get used to a different competition format, their stamina was thoroughly put to the test as our routine was packed with tougher stunts.”

It was a tough task, however, as coach Lim had to return to Kuala Lumpur before the last day of the competition due to prior commitments. Luckily, assistant coach Lim Cheng Choo, 27, who has been cheering and coaching with Lim for over 12 years, was at hand to keep their spirits up.

“There was no pressure to take over from coach Lim. We’re so used to working together that our mindsets are quite in sync. That’s how much we trust each other,” said Cheng Choo. “But, of course, I felt more nervous than my team, because I wanted them to do well.”

At the end of the competition, the Awesome Legends successfully placed fourth in the Co-Ed Level Five Open Division, although team members Chong Chen Wah, 29, and Ivy Lee, 17, who participated in the Partner Stunt category didn’t manage to place.

The AASCF National Championship was a massive event with a total of 7,526 participating cheerleaders and 1,226 routines!

Still, it is a result that Cheng Choo reckons her team should be proud of, especially as they were competing with Australia’s best teams.

“I’m very proud of the team, and I honestly think everyone did very well. What touched me most was that they fought for their routine and their individual roles – and that’s the best attitude a cheerleader could have,” she said.

Lim, too, insists it is the experience of competing at an international competition that’s most important, especially for young cheerleaders in Malaysia, where The Star’s CHEER competition remains the only large-scale cheerleading tournament.

International experience
Aside from the fierce competition, the cheerleaders of Awesome Legends also experienced the friendlier side of the sport as they each got to stay with locals as part of a homestay programme.

There, they met other cheerleaders (some as young as eight!) and their parents – fondly known in the sport as “cheer parents” – and exchanged tips and tricks of the sport with each other.

“Our host families were really welcoming and treated us as if we were their sons and daughters. They even went out of their way to ensure we were where we needed to be and comfortable throughout our stay,” said Chong.

The team practised every chance it could in Australia – even at the local park!

“I’m very proud of the team, and I honestly think everyone did very well. What touched me most was that they fought for their routine and their individual roles – and that’s the best attitude a cheerleader could have,”

The integration with Aussie families and the wider exposure to the “more developed” cheerleading industry in Australia will definitely come in handy for the young Malaysian cheerleaderers, said coach Lim.

“This team has a good bunch of kids. They’re very united and loyal to each other, and that’s their strength. Our goal is to keep this team together for at least the next two years and send them to the United States for the World Cheerleading Championship,” he said.

“There will definitely be challenges, but if we can get continuous support from AirAsia X, that would be an amazing start already.”

Luckily, there is a lot of potential in this Awesome Legends team for coach Lim to build on.

“Imagine what this team could do in, say, 15 months, if they stay together and put their hearts and souls into it. For now, that is our long-term goal,” said Lim.