After taking the world by storm thanks to hit movies like ‘Bring It On’, competitive cheerleading is now one of the fastest growing sports in Australia with more than 10,000 people competing nationally last year.
To cash in on the sport’s popularity, Glenmore Park mother of four and former cheerleader herself, Amanda Blok, has opened her very own cheerleading gym right here in Penrith.
Liberty Allstars will start its first classes on February 1.
“Liberty Allstars opened strictly as an all-star cheerleading facility. It’s highly competitive but we also have recreational teams,” Ms Blok said.
Ms Blok said all funding for the gym went straight to purchasing the proper equipment needed for cheerleading.
“We don’t do any external dance like tap or jazz, it’s solely cheerleading,” she said.
After starting out as a dancer, Ms Blok got involved with cheerleading through a high school exchange program to the US where she lived with the cheer captain of her school.
From there, she returned to Australia and cheered for Penrith’s local gridiron team for a number of years before honing her skills with some of the biggest names in the industry.
Liberty Allstars caters to people of all ages and have a number of classes on offer including the Mummy/Daddy and Me class for walkers, competitive classes for kids aged five and above and even adult recreation cheer fitness classes for people who just want to have fun.
“We also participate in several competitions throughout the year, ending with the Nationals on the Gold Coast,” Ms Blok said.
“It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country, it gets bigger each and every year.”
To see what all the fuss is about, Liberty Allstars will run a free trial class this Saturday, January 16 at 1/11 Robertson Place, Jamisontown. All locals are invited to attend.
“Our free trial class is open to everyone from boys and girls, experienced to beginners,” Ms Blok said.
For more info, visit the Liberty Allstars Facebook page or call 0430 011 526.
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender’s Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.
