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All for one: The toss is one of the actions in cheerleading that requires mutual trust among teammates.

In synch: Hong Kong’s Cheer Wave squad demonstrated the human pyramid in the Asia Pacific Challenge.

Co-operative nature: Hong Kong Cheer Union Technical Committee Chair Andy Chan says cheerleading teaches participants to learn to rely on each other.

Balancing act: Cheerleaders held aloft must remain poised and smiling, ever confident in their fellow members’ ability to keep them safe.

All for one In synch Co-operative nature Balancing act

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Cheerleading wave sweeps HK

July 06, 2014

Cheering squad members urging on teams with dances, prances, stunts and chants swept the sporting world first as entertainers, but are now considered serious athletes in their own right. Hong Kong Cheer Union is keen to develop the sport in Hong Kong and the region.

Cheerleading originated in the United States in the late 1860s, when all-male “pep clubs” energised the players and spectators with fighting songs and slogans. It evolved to include women, and spread to high schools and colleges. It is now a complex exercise that requires great physical exertion and skill.

It is relatively new in Asia, where it is more popular in Japan and Taiwan. Hong Kong Cheer Union Technical Committee Chair Andy Chan said, during cheerleading competitions, teams are required to perform specific stunts and movements.

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Voiceover:
Dancing and bouncing, and yelling and chanting while shaking colourful pom-poms, cheerleaders encourage sports teams to give it their all. While it has long been viewed as great entertainment, cheerleading is now considered a sport in its own right, with rules for competition.

Hong Kong Cheer Union Technical Committee Chair Andy Chan:
Cheerleading includes gymnastics, as squad members jump and roll. A stunt known as a basket toss sees members twist and tumble through the air. All team mates must cooperate to ensure each other’s safety.

Voiceover:
Cheerleading has become a popular sport particularly in North America, with national competitions held annually. Judges score teams based on their techniques and moves, overall impression and entertainment value, and squad members’ cooperation.

Hong Kong Cheer Union Technical Committee Chair Andy Chan:
Good timing and movement creates a higher entertainment value. Cheerleading involves not just a single group, but several doing highly coordinated stunts together.  The overall impression is based on the timing and control of each motion.

Voiceover:
Cheerleading is a complex exercise that requires great physical exertion and skill. Participants can be of any age, and both boys and girls are welcome to join.

Cheerleader Hayes Sung:
The guys have an important role in cheerleading, in that we have the ability to toss members safely to the top when building a human pyramid. We must trust each other to make sure it is safe.

Voiceover:
Boys and girls can learn to work together in a squad, and to rely on each other.

Cheerleader Keiko Cheung:
I am on the top of the human pyramid. I trust my teammates to hold me up even if I lose my balance during the performance.

Voiceover：
Invest Hong Kong helped the International Cheer Union set up a local office  earlier this year, the Hong Kong Cheer Union.
The first event in Hong Kong - the Asia Pacific Challenge – took place at Asia World Expo at the end of June.
Teams from Australia, the Philippines, Taiwan and China came to compete for the chance to be Grand Champion. The Hong Kong team cheered their way to become first runner-up.
The Hong Kong Cheer Union plans to offer cheerleading programmes to local schools, and provide educational services for coaches, to help develop interest and participation in cheerleading in Hong Kong and Asia.

Hong Kong Cheer Union Business Development Manager Jayde Pamuk:
There is a little bit of cheerleading around Asia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines already. Maybe we will happen into China but this will be our next steps in the far future. I think once get into schools, we can build it much faster. So we could have inter-school events that all the different schools compete against one another. Once they have the confidence and the capability to perform in a higher level, we will work it out into our event.

“Cheerleading includes gymnastics, as squad members jump and roll. A stunt known as a basket toss sees members twist and tumble through the air.”

That’s entertainment

In competition, the team can be composed of different numbers of people, from a few members to more than 20. Participants can be of any age, and both boys and girls are welcome to join. Judges score teams based on their techniques and moves, overall impression and entertainment value, and squad members’ cooperation.

“Good timing and movement perfectly matched with music creates a higher entertainment value,” Mr Chan said.

Invest Hong Kong helped the International Cheer Union set up a local office earlier this year, the Hong Kong Cheer Union. The first event in Hong Kong - the Asia Pacific Challenge – took place at the end of June. Teams from Australia, China, Taiwan, Singapore, the Philippines and Hong Kong competed for the chance to be Grand Champion.

Team spirit

Hayes Sung, aged 17, is the only young man on the Hong Kong team, Cheer Wave. He has been a cheerleader for two years and previously was a gymnast.

“Gymnastics is a personal performance while cheerleading brings a large group of people together, so you do not feel lonely,” Hayes said.

Natalie Chong, another Cheer Wave squad member, takes the position at the top of the human pyramid.

“At the beginning, I was afraid that my teammates couldn’t hold me up because I lacked trust in them. Also, if I made a mistake while at the top, the audience could easily spot it. Now, I am not afraid anymore. I have confidence in my teammates to hold me up as we have built up mutual trust after almost three years’ training,” Natalie said.

Co-operation crucial

Mr Chan notes cheerleading is a sport that emphasises co-operation. Teens can learn the importance of supporting each other through participating.

“Cheerleading is not a personal campaign. For example, when building a human pyramid, if teammates don’t co-operate, it is difficult to complete the stunt, and can pose danger.”

The Hong Kong Cheer Union plans to offer cheerleading programmes to local schools, and provide educational services for coaches, to help develop interest and participation in cheerleading in Hong Kong and Asia.

To learn more about its work and activities, visit its website.

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