By CHRISTINE CHEAH
alltherage@thestar.com.my

FROM 15 teams in 2000 to 36 teams in 2012, Cheer, Malaysia’s premier inter-school cheerleading competition, has sure come a long way.

Things are only going to get better at Cheer 2013 – organised by R.AGE and presented by MARIGOLD HL Low Fat Milk – where we will be introducing a brand new division, the All-Girl Juniors, and some rule changes that will promise even better performances.

The junior division was created to help teams with less experience. Some schools have been competing for the past 13 years, giving them an advantage over the newer teams.

“We wanted to give these teams a chance to compete with teams of a similar level,” said Tan Yee Ming, vice president of the Cheerleading Association and Register of Malaysia (CHARM).

“The standards increase every year and it is hard for the newer teams to catch up with teams that have been competing for many years.

Teams in the junior division will be competing based on the International Cheer Union’s (ICU) Level Two rules. Certain advanced stunts are not allowed at this level, which will help level the playing field and encourage more new teams to get involved in the sport.

The two existing divisions – the All-Girl and Co-Ed divisions – will still compete based on the ICU’s high school rules.
But as usual, the ICU have introduced some new rules to improve safety. This year, the most significant changes involve dismounts and flips.

“It is a whole new ball game now,” said CHARM president Beverley Hon. “But it is for the greater good of the cheerleaders.”

For example, double downs – a type of dismount where a flyer at the top does two full twists before landing in the bases’ arms – will not be allowed at Cheer 2013. It is considered an elite stunt.

“These changes will encourage the cheerleaders to come up with more creative ways to dismount, and it will be a new challenge to all the teams,” added Hon.

Coach Chong Siew Han, from team Dynamitez (SMK Damansara Jaya, Selangor), agreed that the rule changes were good, as they encouraged cheerleaders to develop more difficult stunts.

“Everybody wanted to do double twist cradles before this. But now, due to the new rules, the teams will have to focus on performing better mounts instead.

“Overall, the cheerleaders will have to concentrate on improving fundamental skills, like the basic twists and turns,” said Chong, who has been coaching for over ten years.

For more detailed information on this year’s rule changes, log on to the Cheer Facebook page at facebook.com/TheStarCHEER or email contact.charmcheer@gmail.com.

The Cheer 2013 finals will be happening on June 29 and 30 at the Putra Indoor Stadium, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. Admission is free. The event is organised by R.AGE and presented by MARIGOLD HL Low Fat Milk. The main sponsor is Silkygirl and the co-sponsor is Sugus. Red FM is the official radio station.