CIRENCESTER cheerleaders celebrated their first win in their first-ever competition.

Cirencester Creative Dance Academy's (CCDA) Phoenix Flames , a competition team consisting of 16 girls aged eight to 14, won first place in the highest level of the open cheerleading category at the Gloucester Cheer Competition.

The competition, which took place on Sunday, April 24, at Severn Vale School, Gloucester, saw 12 different teams come in from places like Gloucester, Bristol and Somerset.

It featured three categories, pom dance, open cheerleading and stunt cheerleading, all of which were divided into level one and level two competitors.

CCDA dance school started the competition team, coached by Lauren Berry, six months ago to take cheerleading in Cirencester to the next level.

The dance school has been teaching cheerleading for two years since September 2014.

Coach Berry said: "The technique in cheerleading is very different from dancing. It is so much more fun and more team motivated.

"We start teaching them the techniques at an early age. I think it is a lot more difficult than people think."

Cheerleader Isla McSorley, 8, said: "Cheerleading makes me feel happy because everyone is like family.

"I like the lifts. I think they are the hardest thing because every time you are scared about whether or not the person is going to catch you or drop you."

When asked whether she found the sport challenging, she said: "Not really."

Judy Mills, mother of nine-year-old cheerleader Rhiannon Mills, said: "We are all thrilled, especially since it is the first time they had ever been to a cheerleading competition. They did us all proud."

"Cheerleading is something new, it is more about gymnastics. It keeps Rhiannon fit and it is fun as she gets to do shows."

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

Rhiannon said: "We get a really nice teacher. I find the acrobatics most challenging. I am not very flexible and I found the flips and cartwheels hard.

"But while cheerleading, I learned how to do a cartwheel for the first time.

"Cheerleading has also given me more confidence to perform because I am part of a group."

Laura Boxell, parent of Jasmine, 8, and Hollie, 12, said: "My children like doing lifts. It's good for their strength and they just love dancing."

Hollie said: "I like cheerleading because you can use any kind of face. It is fun and good for expressing myself.

"I learn things I would have never learned how to do, like going into a forward walkover, back hand springs and forward hand springs.

"It's my favourite type of dance."