A BROMSGROVE cheerleader is heading out to America to compete among the world’s best.
Phoebe Howard first got into the sport when it was offered as an activity at St John’s Middle School by Miss Kelly.
At her gymnastics club in Selly Oak, she saw there was also a small cheer team and joined that.
She loved it and, during a competition in Birmingham, saw the much-acclaimed Coventry Dynamite (CD) perform.
All the athletes on all the CD teams were so supportive cheering them on all around the arena their routines were flawless and exciting. So, when try out season came along in July, she went along to see what they had to offer, wanting to join their ranks.
Phoebe’s mum Sarah said: “It was crazy busy and Phoebe was quite overcome but I said just go and enjoy it.
“Dillon Brandt who was on the Netflix series ‘Cheer’ was there assessing everyone at tryouts which was very exciting.
“She came out and didn’t think it had gone as well as she had hoped.
“But a few weeks later we received an email to say she had been chosen to be on the CD’s ‘Bombshells’ squad.”
She is now hoping to head out with her fellow Bombshells to Orlando, Florida, where they will be the youngest CD team to have competed in America.
They will be flying out mid-April and training over in Orlando and doing a show off at Disney Sports Resort before taking to the MAT on April 20 at the semi-final stage of the competition at The Orange County Convention Centre on International Drive.
Despite common misconceptions of pom-pom dancing, cheerleading is an athletic combination of tumbling, stunting and jumps.
Athletes train extremely hard all year to prepare for both national and international competitions.
To get to the All Star Worlds Competition, Phoebe will be representing, not only Coventry Dynamite and Bromsgrove, but also England as there will be few teams from the country competing.
