“I don’t know what you’ve been told, but Fleming House is here to win!” a group of about 40 cheerleaders chanted as they stepped and waved pom-poms on March 16 at the Multi-purpose Sports Complex.

They were right: Their house would go on to take first place in the Elmore Stoutt High School’s Cheerleading Competition that night, edging out the Carlisle, Lettsome and O’Neal houses.

At the beginning of the show, the teams danced to the centre of the gym as the ESHS Drum Corps played. Then they exited the stage, but returned group by group to show off wide-ranging dance routines.

With standing room only at the sports facility, fans wore colours supporting the different houses.

On stage

Rehearsing for the show wasn’t easy, said Vincia Peter, who performed with Carlisle House.

Even though her team didn’t win, she enjoyed the experience.
“It took two and a half months of practice, but it was all fun,” the tenth-grader said.

Like Ms. Peter, Syann Strode was performing at the competition for the first time.
“It was a good experience,” said the O’Neal House member. “I didn’t know most of the girls when we started, but towards the end it became great because we got to know each other and learned to interact better.”

Having Andy Williams as a coach made it a lot easier, Ms. Strode added.

“He made it fun and easy for us to grasp,” she said.

Audience

Though most attendees had a favourite house, many still applauded all the teams.

“I think all of them performed really well, and I’m glad to see a lot of people turned out to support them,” said former Miss BVI Jaynene Jno-Lewis, who backed Fleming House. “They had a lot of spirit, and that’s all it takes, really.”

She would know: While representing the territory at the Miss Universe Pageant in Miami in 2014, Ms. Jno-Lewis got the opportunity to rehearse with cheerleaders for the Miami Heat basketball team.

“From my brief experience with those cheerleaders, I can say our cheerleaders here are well on their way — maybe even better,” Ms. Jno-Lewis said.

Naudia Turnbull was in high spirits as she backed Fleming House.

“I think the competition went extremely well,” said Ms. Turnbull, who wore a red shirt. “To me it was fair, so go House Three!”

During her time at the school, she added, she was a member of the Fleming House cheerleading squad.

“Sadly, we didn’t win in my year,” she said, adding that her team lost to O’Neal House.

Overall, all the houses continue to improve on their cheerleading skills, according to attendee Khiry Creque, who is also a dancer.

“I thought it was very entertaining,” Mr. Creque said. “Everyone came with the intent to win and take the championship, and the performance level is rising.”

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