Lower Sixth pupil, Phoebe won Gold as part of Team England’s winning Junior team at the Cheerleading World Championships -  ‘Cheerleading Worlds’ - in Florida.  It was only Team England’s second appearance at the Championships, which attract over 9,000 Cheer Athletes from around the world.  Phoebe and Team England beat Japan and Austria to win Gold. Phoebe is one of the ‘basers’ – catchers – in Team England’s four-woman team.  Their winning routine comprised two main ‘stunts’, as they are called, together with standing and running tumbles, dance routines, ‘baskets’ (where the ‘flyer’ is thrown up, twisting in the air), and a spectacular ‘pyramid’.   

 A talented gymnast, Phoebe fits training with her club, Coventry Dynamite, and Team England, around her schoolwork and A Levels. She is hoping to aim for the Los Angeles Olympics, where cheerleading will be a recognised sport.   ‘It’s a growing sport,’ says Phoebe. ‘People are moving away from the idea of pom poms,  as they appreciate all the gymnastic skills – tumbling, acrobatics – involved.  I love the mix of stunting and tumbling, and I really enjoy all the teamwork involved.  I’ve made great friends, all over the country.’