Women In Sport with Katie Catherall

Cheerleading in the UK is on the rise, with many British athletes gaining places on prestigious world-class teams to then compete at the World Championships.

Lydia Smith knows all too well the determination and work that goes into competing in this incredible sport. With athletes performing a 2.5-minute routine composed of tumbling, stunting, pyramids and segments of dance, Cheerleaders are required to have an excellent level of endurance and overall fitness.

Starting off at Tameside Gymnastics from age four, Lydia competed within Gymnastics for eight years, therefore giving her an ideal starting point for her life thereafter in Cheerleading. Her team over at Rising Stars Cheer, Eclipse, train multiple times a week to ensure they are always in perfect condition for competitions.

In order to compete at the World Championships in Orlando, Florida, all teams must show their potential and win a bid. “My biggest achievement to date is definitely placing third in the World at the 2019 Cheerleading World Championships” said Lydia.  The feeling of this achievement was ‘unreal’ for Lydia who before this had only dreamt of an achievement of this size.

She is now studying to become a primary school teacher. “I would love to continue supporting the sport and if possible, teach it to children within the school I will be working at in the future” she said. With her passion for gymnastics still deep within her roots, Lydia would also like to gain a coaching qualification in that sport.

She would love to inspire the next generation of Cheerleaders and Gymnasts, showing potential future stars how much they can gain from taking part in sport.

With seven years of Cheerleading under her belt, Lydia has a love for the sport and is hoping to continue her great successes.

The idea that participants simply dance around with pom-poms shouting encouragement to athletes could not be further from the truth in this sport, cheering is serious business, and it is becoming more and more popular amongst athletes in the UK.