Wild-card entry to Hawaii leaves Hawke's Bay Comets cheerleaders jumping for joy

Christine Crowe, the director of Bay City Cheerleaders, and the Comets senior competition team, finds out they will represent New Zealand in Hawaii. Photo / Warren Buckland

A group of Hawke's Bay cheerleaders did what cheerleaders do best this week - they jumped for joy.

The Bay City Cheerleaders' Comets senior competition team was left thrilled to bits last night when they were informed they had been awarded a wild-card entry to compete at the Global Cheer and Dance Games in Hawaii.

Christine Crowe, the director of Bay City Cheerleaders, and the Comets senior competition team, finds out they will represent New Zealand in Hawaii. Photo / Warren Buckland

Head coach Christine Crowe said the award resulted from a recent "stellar" performance at the Utopia Cheer and Dance Series in Auckland.

"We are super proud of all the athletes and coaches. I'm just stoked for them.

"We went up against some of the All-Star teams, which are considered some of the elite cheer clubs in New Zealand, so the standard of level is quite high.'

The 12-member team won its senior division (14 years and over) but had also made an impression on the event organisers who awarded it the "at-large" bid for a spot at the Global Cheer and Dance Games in May next year.

Crowe said the event, which is billed as the sport's "event of the year" and includes an Olympic-like opening ceremony, was a "huge" deal in the sport of cheerleading.

"I think they will rise to the challenge. That's what all cheerleaders around the country are aiming for, the right to win a bid to compete overseas.

"They worked on the routine for six months and they will continue to work on that routine throughout the year but will probably upskill some of the difficulty and then take the judges' feedback from that last competition to enhance the routine."

Crowe said the team members were still in their first year competing together but had dedicated their win to their former coach, Taylor Pettinari, who had recently left to coach in Australia.

The team's centre flyer, 15-year-old Lily Skews, said the team was delighted that its hard work had paid off.

"There was a lot of pressure because it was our competition and we had a expanded team from last year with quite a few new people. We all put a lot of work into it."

The club's junior team was due to travel to Auckland to take part in the junior division competition.

'They will also potentially be eligible for a bid to Hawaii as well."

The Onekawa-based club was now in its sixth year, and had seen numbers quadruple this year.

"The support has been quite amazing. The more exposure we get, and the better understanding the general population has about our sport, the more interest we will get from boys and girls."

The club was now accepting registrations for its FUN development cheer teams and tumbles classes for term three. Email info@baycitycheerleaders.co.nz or call (06) 2116589 for more information.