After my interview with the leaders of Exeter University Ladies Football Club, I decided to explore the other end of the sporting spectrum and chat to Head Cheerleader, Ellie Boxall. Naturally assuming that the crop-haired feminists would turn to football while all the fluffy blondes would shake pom-poms, it was refreshing to discover that both stereotypes are completely unfounded.For Ellie, cheerleading is just as much as a sport as football is, and, as I discovered in my interview, their competitive attitude has led Exeter’s Cheerleading and Gymnastics Club to become one of the most successful university cheerleading teams in the country.
Positions of responsibility held within the cheerleading world:
Cheerleading and Gymnastics Club Captain
How did you first get into cheerleading?
There was a cheerleading team at my school and they wanted tall, sixth formers with a history in gymnastics, so I applied!
What’s the best thing about the Cheerleading and Gymnastics Club:
Everyone who does cheerleading and gymnastics is so friendly that you end up just spending time with your friends and keeping fit at the same time. I’ve definitely made friends for life through cheerleading.
Tell us about the Cheerleading team’s successes so far:
Last year we were crowned National Dance Champions at the ICC Universities competition held in Leeds, then this year we came 1st in Cheer Jazz Dance, 2nd in Cheer Hiphop Dance and 2nd in the Level 3 Stunt group at the FutureCheer Winter Wonderland competition in December, and 1st again in Jazz, 2nd in Hiphop, 2nd in Pom Dance and 2nd in Level 4 Stunt Group.
What sort of assumptions do people make about cheerleaders? Are any of them true?
I think boys make a lot of assumptions about cheerleaders, but none of them are true. Most people think cheerleading is about pompoms and short skirts but the competitions are mainly about stunting, which is where people get thrown into the air – the more acrobatic side. We don’t even use pompoms in cheer routines. There are also really strict rules about uniforms and what kind of dance you can perform in an attempt to get rid of those kinds of stereotypes. Although having said all of this, some of the girls can’t resist the temptation to do the splits on the dancefloor at Timepiece Wednesdays…
What has been your favourite cheerleading social:
This year it has to be the Harry Potter social. It was a combination of a welcome to all the Freshers who had made it onto the competition squad, and a chance for everyone to dress up in ridiculous costumes. I was Lord Voldemort, bald cap and all!
What would be your ideal night out in Exeter:
Probably a casual pre-lash with all the cheer girls, then onto Timepiece before finally sharing a cheeky firehouse pizza.
Tell us about your up and coming competition. Who are you up against? Are you feeling confident?
Our main competition is in April when we aim to match our success of two years ago, when we won every category we entered. I think our main competition is Royal Holloway Tom Cats – they’re very strong in the dance categories. There is a lot of pressure on all the committee this year to be as successful as the previous years, but we certainly intend to rise to the challenge!
Having interviewed Ellie it is obvious that our University Cheerleading team is a hugely successful and dedicated group of girls, and we wish them luck in their upcoming competition!
Â