Cheerleading may not be a sport, but it is definitely becoming an industry. About 3.7 million youths participate in the National Cheerleading Championship annually, either through school squads or the cheer community.
Cheerleading may not be a sport, but it is definitely becoming an industry. About 3.7 million youths participate in the National Cheerleading Championship annually, either through school squads or the cheer community.
Many universities see the value in cheerleading programmes. The atmosphere the team brings to games, and the role they play in alumni functions and of course representing the university.
The newly formed Limkokwing Falcons has been the Limkokwing University’s wings for cheerleading. The team’s debut performance was at a students’ exhibition called SCORE (Sports, Competition and Recreation Expo) 2013.
“Tan Sri Limkokwing was very enthusiastic on the idea of having school cheerleaders, and we managed to put together a cheer leading squad of students who can dance or has the interest in cheerleading,” said Nicole, the programme leader for Performing Arts.
“We are highly spirited, highly committed, highly dedicated and we support and communicate with each other like a family,” said the Limkokwing Falcons’ head coordinator and choreographer, Iman Azma from Brunei.
The cheerleaders quickly learned the concept of being in a ‘team’, and what it means to be an important part of it. Cheerleading teaches them to encourage their teammates accordingly.
It teaches time management and organizational skills, as practices take up a lot of time and requires the cheer members to prioritize and make sure everything on their to do list is checked off before they put on that uniform and hit the stage.
Iman added, “The Limkokwing Falcons, we work best as a team. If one goes, we definitely fall down.”
“Especially with the stunts, you may think that the person in the air is the most important but there’s always somebody holding and supporting from down. In that sense, everyone’s role are equal in cheerleading,” says Nicole.
“We want to show that cheerleading is not a group of dance movements only but at the same it’s an activity for both guys and girls to lead a healthy lifestyle,” said Malaysian student Fatin Natasha, who is also the captain of the cheerleaders.
Fatin added, “I want to attract more students to get into it and also to understand what’s cheerleading all about.”
The Limkokwing Falcons consist of 14 students from eight countries. They promote the University’s spirit of unity despite having diverse nationalities from a total of 160 countries. Cultural unity is an essential anchor of all relationships at Limkokwing University.
“Among other universities in Malaysia, Limkokwing University is the most international University as we all know. When the Falcons are out there, people are amazed with us on how people from different countries can combine and work together to make it happen,” shared Fatin.
“We are multicultural, we can stay together and we are all the same,” says Iman.
“It’s really encouraging and inspiring actually to see how something has gone from so basic to as advanced as it is now. We started off with simple pyramids, splits, flips and cartwheels. After this, we would like to perform basket toss, scorpion stunts and maybe a cheer girl up in the air without support, you never know,” said Nicole.
On the education side, Nicole says, “Limkokwing University’s specialty is being industry-driven. Students here get to have hands-on practical knowledge while working with the industries. The fact of being in an international environment here is even better because when you start learning from each other, you start learning how is it done in other countries. By this, you will have more tolerance, more appreciation of how it is done globally. When you graduate from Limkokwing, you come out as a well-rounded individual.”
“Limkokwing made me discover more talents than I thought I had. I have learnt how to be on the stage, organizing events and running shows which made me become a leader,” shared Iman, who comes from a country with a small population.
Overall, cheerleading is team-focused. It teaches the cheer members about commitment and what it takes to be part of an organised squad.