Wolverhampton cheerleaders celebrate Florida success
Cheerleaders from Wolverhampton have celebrated after a successful trip to Florida.
Members of the Sharon Ann Academy of Cheer and Dance, Ettingshall Road, entered three competitions and placed high in each of them.
The cheerleaders headed to Florida for two weeks, having returned by Thursday. (May 16).
Wolverhampton director Sharon Gray, who runs the school with daughters Lauren and Beckie, said proud "wasn't the word" to describe her joy.
She said: "Proud is not the word for it – I'm ecstatic for the girls.
"The hard work and dedication they put in is amazing.
"It's a two-way street – we work really hard with parents and there's a great element of respect and commitment.
"It's a great partnership and the results speak for themselves."
Lauren, 26, is the cheer director at the academy, with 29-year-old Beckie acting as the dance director.
Both helped to train the cheerleaders who entered the ICU World Championships, US All Star Federation (USASF) Dance Worlds, and the International Summit World Championship.
Lauren, who is one of the coaches for England for the Junior Advanced Cheer team, helped her side win gold – a team which featured a members from the academy.
Beckie, who is the captain of the Senior Jazz team for England, placed sixth in the world with a team featuring 13 athletes.
Two teams of cheerleaders competed in the jazz and lyrical styles at the USASF – with the lyrical team placing fifth and coming third in the Nations Cup competition.
The jazz team placed sixth in the world and came fourth in the Nations Cup.
In the International Summit World Championships, for levels one to four, Lauren helped lead a team to a silver prize.
"All in all our two weeks were very busy training and competing, but the results are higher than expected so we've exceeded our expectations," Sharon said.
