S-U-C-C-E-S-S for Dynasty cheer squad

Otago’s Dynasty cheerleaders deserve a cheer squad of their own after taking out gold at a recent Australasian Majors event.

The 16-member team pipped reigning champs UCheer from Canterbury to win the New Zealand Majors University 1-2 Division in Auckland this month.

Otago University Cheerleading Club President and Dynasty team member Rebecca Stewart  –  who is in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce – says the competition was fierce.

“Although we aren’t up against many teams, it is a very, very competitive division and each University sends their best athletes.

“UCheer are very talented at what they do but their athletes are also very lovely off the competition floor. Many of us are friends and both teams even celebrated together after Majors.”

Dynasty is coached by Graham Versfeld and Mackenzie Fox through the Eclipse Cheerleading gym, the only cheer gym in Dunedin.

Mackenzie, who is in her final year of nursing, also did the majority of the choreography for the winning performance.

“The team trained incredibly hard before the competition. They had their fair share of injuries and uni assessments leading up to comp – so I had to rearrange their routine a few times before they competed – but they were very resilient and willing to adapt,” Mackenzie says.

“The week of comp, they trained the hardest I'd seen them train. They gave their full outs [practice runs] their all, and really performed and bonded as a team.”

Mackenzie started coaching for the Otago University Cheerleading club this year but has been an athlete with Eclipse Cheerleading since 2019. She studies during the day and coaches in the evening, which makes for a busy, but rewarding, schedule, she says.

“This was my first time being the head coach of a team and the first time experiencing a win as a coach. I was very emotional.

“I’m beyond proud of the team and I loved watching all their hard work pay off.”

Rebecca says the biggest positive of being in a cheer team is the community aspect and in cheerleading, more than any other sport, you really need to rely on your teammates.

“The nature of the sport means you need to work closely in sync with the other athletes to achieve what you need to do.

“It requires a lot of trust and is very much one for all and all for one. Without the contributions from each person on the team we wouldn’t be able to have such a strong team.”

At one stage it was uncertain whether Rebecca would be able to compete, after she broke her foot a couple of months ago at training.

Injuries are very common in cheerleading, she says.

“No matter how careful we are – and how often we’re briefed on health and safety procedures and on how to correct and catch anything that goes wrong – it is inherently a dangerous sport.

“My injury personally did not result from anything going wrong at training, it was just one of those things. Thankfully, it was healed enough for me to perform alongside my incredible teammates at Majors.”

Next up for Dynasty are the 2024 NZ Super Nationals in November.

“The opportunity to perform in person in the arena is unparalleled, but we’ll be entering virtually for this second competition,” Rebecca says.

“Cheerleading is a very expensive sport and we’re a self-funded club so we do try to limit the amount of travelling and expenses on our athletes through fundraising where we can.”

Could cheer be your calling?

The Otago University Cheerleading Club is made up of two teams – Dynasty, the competitive team, and Knights, the recreational team.

“We welcome people of all levels of experience to join in at our Knights trainings at any point in the year. If we gain enough interest for this team, they enter in an open division at a competition later in the season,” Rebecca says.

“The Dynasty competitive team holds auditions at the beginning of the academic year. Our coaches from Eclipse Cheerleading have full discretion over which athletes get into the team based on their skillsets.”

Cheerleading requires a lot of strength and agility so many of the members who don’t have a cheerleading background have usually come from another sport, she says.

“We have some ex-club cheerleaders, but also athletes who come from hockey, martial arts, cross fit, rowing and waka ama.

“A lot of our athletes start cheerleading for the first time at University and come to love it.”
Mackenzie also encourages everyone to come in and have a go, even if they don’t have any experience.

“Cheerleading is a sport for everyone. It has components of dance, aerobics and gymnastics. Sporty people tend to have better stamina and can work through a routine well, but anyone can learn new skills.

“As long as you're hardworking, resilient and a team player, you'll do well in the sport.”

– Kōrero by Internal Communications Adviser Laura Hewson