It was a packed house at the Trafalgar Center in Nelson as 370 cheerleaders jumped and worked their way through a series of synchronized, energetic routines during the Inaugural South Island Show Offs Match.
Event organizer and manager of Nelson cheerleading club Electrix Cheersport Maxine Noar said the athletes performing on Saturday represented eight different clubs, from Wellington to Otago.
“We were overwhelmed with the support from the Nelson community,” said Noar. “A lot of people who came don’t cheerleading; they just came to watch the spectacle.”
As a result, Noar had received “a lot” of messages and emails from people who had seen the event and now wanted to cheerlead themselves.
READ MORE:
* Hundreds of cheerleaders to compete in the biggest Nelson competition yet
* Electrix couple cheerlead the way with persistence and passion
* Nelson cheerleaders tumble, jump and dance their way to gold and silver
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
Claw6, of the All Star Pride club in Christchurch, performs at the South Island Show Offs.
For some relatives of Electrix’s 80 competitive athletes, it was the first time seeing them compete, as previous competitions had been “out of town.”
Electrix won the Grand Specials Championship Crown at the South Island Show Offs with Elsie Aitken and Elyse Karatai winning the Junior Level 3 duo taking the highest score in the category.
Electrix’s Nitro youth novice team also won gold, followed by the novice division.
Noar said Electrix took home four golds and one silver in the specialties and seven golds in the teams.
Electrix’s recreational teams – Shock, Ember and Charge – took first, second and third respectively in the recreational division, while Broadgreen and Waimea Intermediate took first and second in their intermediate school division.
“They all did really well,” Noar said of the Electrix athletes. “I’m really proud of them.”
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
Flash, from Electrix Cheersport in Nelson, competes in the senior level 3 section.
The overall major champion of the South Island Show Offs was the Jagz team, from All Star Pride in Christchurch with the highest score in the competition.
Teams from All Star Pride were declared major champions during the multi-level event.
Noar said she is considering re-hosting and expanding the South Island Show Offs next year.