Tuam cheerleaders bid for Irish glory at World Championships

By JACQUELINE HOGGE A GROUP of athletes from Tuam are in Florida this week as members of Ireland's first-ever team to contest the Cheerleading World Championships.[private] The 20-strong team, which includes young people from Derry and Dublin, arrived in Orlando on Sunday ahead of the three-day event at the Disney World resort in Florida. Trained by Fiona Collumb of ACE High Cheerleading Tuam, the team has been in training since last August. Last year, two Irish teams were due to take part in the competition, but the volcanic ash cloud, which disrupted international travel throughout Europe for almost a month, meant the contestants couldn't make the journey to America for the event. One of those teams included nine girls from Tuam All Star Gymnastics Club, whose secretary Fionnuala Dooley was team captain. This year's team is made up of 17 females and two males who have maintained a rigorous training schedule that has seen them travel to Belfast, Derry, Dublin and Galway for rehearsals, alongside weekly training sessions in Finner Camp, Co. Donegal. 'The dedication and commitment of our athletes has been immense,' said Fiona Collumb, who has choreographed the team's routine. 'As well as learning and practising high-end acrobatics and tumbling skills, all of the team have had to endure the travel to training, which for some has been an eight-hour round trip. 'We're very excited to be representing Ireland, which is the first time our country is competing at this level and we hope our high-flying routine will impress.' This year's competition will feature 17,000 cheerleaders from over 80 nations with reigning champions the United States the team to beat. Other countries including New Zealand, France, China and Jamaica will also be taking part along with a host of other European nations who also missed out on last year's event due to the volcanic ash crisis.[/private]