By Jamie White – Head of Communications
A team member from mystery shopping company, Douglas Stafford, is gearing up to compete in a regional cheerleading competition this weekend.
Lewis Castle, who is a Helpdesk Assistant at Douglas Stafford’s Lakeside North Harbour head office, has been competing in the sport for three years.
Lewis first started cheerleading around three years ago whilst studying at Plymouth University.
“I decided it was time to adopt a new hobby. The university didn’t have a gymnastics society, and I was told cheerleading was the next best thing,” said Lewis.
Since then, he has become a self confessed cheerleading ‘addict’ competing across the country at both regional and national level.
Lewis said: “Cheerleading isn’t really what people see on TV or in films. Competitive cheerleading is a two and half minute routine performed on a sprung floor, in front of a large audience and a judging panel.
“Cheerleading requires a huge amount of athleticism and is comprised of three main elements -tumbling, stunting and dancing. Stunting is perhaps the most dangerous element and involves a pyramid which is a tiered stunt where groups are connected. The more difficult the stunts/sequences/tumbles, the higher the level you compete at.”
Lewis is currently a member in the Cheer Force Odyssey squad, and practices one weekend a month in the Midlands, with each session lasting eight hours. He also trains locally to maintain his fitness.
“The dancing element of cheerleading involves a series of sharp, tight motions that show creativity and synchronisation in a routine. This is usually the part where people express their passion for the sport the most – it’s a chance to have fun and get the audience buzzing,” said Lewis.
Lewis’s next competition is this weekend (29th), when he competes for a regional title in Blackpool.
He added: “We are hoping secure our own base for the Cheer Force franchise – and our coaches are working very hard to secure Government grants to fund this. Our goal is to work our way up to the highest level and compete in the World Championships by 2016.”
