A cheerleading squad is off to the US in April to compete in the Allstar World Cheerleading Championships – the Olympics of the cheerleading world – thanks to a bit of help from DBCP.
DBCP has made a generous £1000 donation to the Rotherham-based Trailblazer Allstars to help towards their trip of a lifetime to Orlando in Florida where the championships are taking place.
The donation will be used alongside additional fundraising by the team, to purchase training kit, uniforms, flights and accommodation, entry fees and performance music at the international competition.
DBCP has a special connection to The Trailblazer Allstars; a member of its technical team is the squad’s ‘flyer’. By day, Jade Sheppard can be found processing building control applications, but in the evening and at weekends, she is the athlete who is lifted and thrown into the air during a stunt or appears at the top of a pyramid during performances.
In addition to DBCP’s donation, the squad have fundraised tirelessly for the trip over the last 12 months, after learning they had been invited to compete in the Cheerleading World Championships which are held every year.
Jade said: “We’re so grateful to DBCP and everyone else who has donated to help get us to the Cheerleading Worlds. It has made a huge difference. As a team we don’t receive any funding to help us get there so heavily rely on fundraising. All donations are helping make our dreams to showcase our skills on a huge stage a reality.”
Currently ninth best in the world, the Trailblazer Allstars are one of only three teams from the UK competing in the 2024 world championship held at Disney World. Jade and 19 of her fellow cheerleaders, together with coaches and helpers, will head to the US at the end of April where they will spend a week training before competing over two days.
David Pratt, DBCP’s Building Control Manager said: “We are all very proud of Jade and her team’s achievements and are delighted to support them in getting to the Cheerleading Worlds. Jade’s full of energy in the office at DBCP! If the team take this energy to the competition, we have no doubt that they will be bringing back a medal for the UK in April.”
At the Cheerleading World Championships, the Trailblazer Allstars will compete in the highest division (Level 7). This is the third time they’ve competed in Florida. During the 2022 competition they finished ninth out of more than 20 teams. This year the team is hoping to hit a new high following the creation of a non-tumble category.
The new category is designed specifically for teams that have limited training facilities and are unable to incorporate floor gymnastic displays in their routines. Jade added: “With the introduction of the non-tumble category, Trailblazer Allstars have a real chance against the US teams at the World Championship.”
Despite suffering a broken nose, town ankle ligaments and ‘so many bruises I have lost count,’ Jade is passionate about cheerleading. She added: “I love it. It’s the ultimate in teamwork and communication. It’s portrayed in the films as being really catty but it’s absolutely not. The cheerleading community is lovely and so friendly.”
If you would like to donate to the Trailblazer Allstars’ cheerleading world championships dream, you can do so via their JustGiving page at https://gofund.me/9fa395d8