THE routines on the performance mat may be the main attraction at Cheer, but the supporters are the ones who create that unique atmosphere, both impossibly loud and positively moving at the same time.
Year after year, supporters come up with crazier ways to cheer their teams on.
Dynamitez supporters cheering their hearts out.
Last year, DynaMick supporters from SMK Damansara Jaya wrested the Best Supporter Award from the SM Sri Kuala Lumpur Cyrens and Rayvens supporters, or “SCARS” for short.
This year, the supporters from SM Sri Kuala Lumpur were definitely back with a vengeance – around 600 screaming SCARS supporters filled up an entire section of the stadium, literally turning it into a sea of blue, reclaiming their Best Supporter Award in the process.
However, the award wasn’t their priority.
“The only thing that’s important to us is seeing the girls come out champions,” explained Jane Lee, who led the Cyrens and Rayvens supporters.
“It’s give and take,” explained Lee, 16. “They’ve put in so much hard work and brought the school so much pride that coming out to support them is the least we could do.”
These supporters weren’t just cheering on their own teams, though, they cheered everyone on.
They also brought along their own drum squad!
On the other hand, the supporters of the Titans and Titans Junior from SM(J)K Ave Maria Convent, Ipoh, Perak, may not have numbered in the hundreds or brought along any drummers, but they cheered just as loud as the rest.
The supporters came in two buses, and left their school at 5.30am just to be at the stadium in time to support their teams.
“We have to come and support them. We don’t want to let them down,” explained Erwani Saiful Anwar.
For the 17-year-old, all that mattered was how her team performed: “We don’t think about how the other teams are doing or how loud their supporters are. All we want is to see the team win.”
All their cheering seemed to have paid off, as Titans placed an impressive fifth overall.
But it wasn’t just their fellow students that turned out to support the cheerleaders. It was nice to see so many parents at the finals cheering their children on.
“Cheer dad” Dr Teo Kim Lai, 49, was one of them. He has been cheering on his two daughters at Cheer for the last five years.
“My elder daughter was a cheerleader for two years and my younger daughter has been in the squad for three,” explained Teo, beaming with pride.
“It’s a great sport. That’s why my wife and I support it all the way. Our girls have learned so much from being cheerleaders. They’ve picked up leadership skills and they’ve learnt to face many adversities.”
Even though they’re not exactly competing, being a supporter is still serious business.
The supporters from SM Sri Kuala Lumpur even sacrificed their recent school holidays to practise their cheers and paint their banners and props.
“The school supports it 100%. Even our principal and CEO are here today to lend their support. Cheer is definitely one of the major events in the school. Everyone looks forward to it. It really brings out the school spirit in everyone,” explained Sri Kuala Lumpur teacher Radhika Menon.
“Even ex-pupils have come to show their support. That just goes to show how much this means to them.”
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