What it takes to be a Leeds Celtic Cheerleader

Most people think cheerleading is nothing more than standing in a skirt looking pretty, so I thought it was time to set the record straight. What does it really mean to be a Leeds Celtic Cheerleader?

I decided to go to one of the training sessions the Celtics are required to go to every week. The first team train for two hours, twice a week, and you’d be foolish for thinking there’s enough time to chat.

The 28 members of the first team start their training with an intense 20 minute warm up. When I say warm up, it’s a fully-fledged workout for someone like me. They do press-ups, sit-ups, all kinds of -ups that made me feel the burn just watching.

Next comes stretching. Most of us could only dream of being able to do a brilliant split (ouch), but for the Celtics this is essential. They don’t just do the splits though, oh no.

Cheerleaders do something called “hyperextending”, meaning legs were going higher than I could ever imagine. The flexibility in the room really was astonishing.

To round off their high intensity beginning were jumps. Think “High School Musical”, legs wide and high twenty times in a row. I felt like saying well done as they rushed towards me for a quick drink break but I refrained considering I had only watched their warm up.

A part of cheerleading not many people recognise is that of stunting. The girls and guys hold eachother up in the air in amazing displays of strength, balance and team work.

There are flyers who, as you can probably guess, are thrown around and lifted in to the air, bases and back spots who provide the essential support and strength underneath. It looks so flawless and even easy, but it takes a lot in order to get to that level.

I spoke to first team flyer Sophie Mclaren, who said: “It’s really fun, because you’re like ‘Wow, I’m actually being thrown around’, but it makes me really nervous as well.

“You’ve got to concentrate on everything you’ve got to do. We have to do a lot of conditioning.”

In addition to the obvious hard work the Celtics put in, I found that there was a strong sense of community and loyalty between the members.

Competitive second team cheerleader Katie Gauntlett confirmed my feeling: “Any graduate Celtic cheerleader I’ve met always say how they dream of still being a Celtic. It’s like a community.”

The Leeds Celtic cheerleaders won every competition they entered last year, and it’s easy to see why. The hard work and dedication the cheerleaders put in is supported through a real passion for the sport. Amanda Hunter, a first team base, told me: “I feel really proud to be a Celtic cheerleader.”

At the end of the training session I could honestly say the Celtic cheerleaders are not recognised enough for the work they put in, and the success they achieve. The room was full of sweaty heads, big smiles and great bums.

Go Celtics.