Cheerleading at HRO
Headington Rye’s cheerleading squad are celebrating after taking home third price in a prestigious national competition.
The squad were competing in Legacy Cheer and Dance: Live your Legacy Nationals the first weekend in June. Read a report from Cheer Captain, Flori, Year 8, below.
Cheerleading at HRO is incredibly rewarding — especially when we reach competition season and, most excitingly, Nationals.
It’s the moment where all our growth, adaptability and hard work throughout the season really shines. That was definitely true for us this year.
Despite the challenges we faced — from early starts for showcases and competitions to endlessly refining our routine — our determination never wavered.
We began the season with 13 athletes and, by Nationals, we were down to just five to compete.
That meant adapting and reworking the routine at least four times to keep it alive. But thanks to our team’s dedication, resilience and our incredible coach Sophie, we did it.
Sophie supports and motivates us through everything, while also being the Head Coach for Oxford Brookes. Her commitment never goes unnoticed — we honestly couldn’t have done this without her.
Nationals itself was definitely nerve-wracking. It was an early start to get to Birmingham on time, ready to warm up and hit the practice mats.
With so many teams competing, timings are tight — there’s no room for error. You get just two chances to run your routine on the warm-up mats: one for tumbling and dance, and one full-out on a spring floor.
It’s only a two-minute routine, but in that moment, with the pressure on, it’s easy to forget even the simplest of moves. Thankfully, we nailed it in practice and headed confidently to the arena.
Walking into the BP Pulse Arena is a moment I won’t forget — it’s huge, and the nerves definitely kicked in.
We lined up behind teams of 30 or more athletes, all tumbling, flipping, and stunting at such a high level.
But the beauty of cheer is that you never quite know who you’re competing against — so we just focused on ourselves.
When our team was called, we ran on with smiles and energy and I’m so proud to say… we absolutely smashed it! We hit zero, gave it our all, and placed third in the nation!
The cheerleading community is always so uplifting, encouraging and full of passion.
I’m endlessly proud of our team and I never doubted we’d rise to the occasion.
Huge thanks to Sophie for being such a superstar coach. I can’t wait to see what next season brings — we’re ready for it!
