A Launceston cheerleading squad has hit perfection in the eyes of Tasmanian state judges after achieving a flawless score.
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The All Star Cheer and Dance Tasmania team were competing against 11 teams in the Infinite Spirit All Star Cheerleading competition in Hobart on Saturday.
All Star Cheer and Dance Tasmania co-owner Dee Gillen said it was the team’s first competition after the cheerleading school was set up in February.
The 83-student team walked away with four grand championships for the highest scores, several first, second and third places for squads, solos and duos.
As the overall cheer and dance champions, they also won a bid to travel to the Far North Queensland Cheer and Dance Championship in October next year.
“We’re really excited that in our first competition we hit a zero for one of our routines,” Gillen said.
Odin, the Open All Star Senior Cheer Squad, won first prize and grand champion in the cheer level one category.
The team, which is made up of several squads, also were grand champions in the solo and duo, stunt, and hip hop categories.
The Timy Allstars, Iris Allstars, Odin Allstars and Apollo Allstars all achieved first place in their respective levels.
Other coaches were coming up to congratulate them on their routines after they walked off the stage, she said.
It was a big milestone for the team, but Gillen said the hard work wasn’t over.
Gillen and co-owner Tanya Lanham set up the school after meeting during the Launceston College production of Bring It On in 2015.
While the students were keen for more cheering, it wasn’t until later last year that the duo sat down to make their dream a reality.
“When you start something like this, you’re taking a risk. You just hope everyone will learn to love what you love,” Gillen said. “Cheerleading is addictive.”
“We’re really excited that in our first competition we hit a zero for one of our routines."
- All Star Cheer and Dance Tasmania co-owner Dee Gillen
Lanham agreed, saying, “when you hit the stunts, it’s such a rush”.
The team would be working hard to compete in the cheerleading season from July until November next year, she said.
The feedback had been really positive from the judges so they had high hopes for continuing to improve, Lanham said.