The Central University of Technology (CUT)’s cheerleading team secured a gold medal at the South African Majorettes and Cheerleading Association (SAMCA) National Competitions held in Polokwane last Saturday.
The team, which was also representing the Free State Majorette and Cheerleading Association (FSMCA), came out tops against three other sides.
The CUT cheerleaders qualified for the national championships after winning the provincial contest held Hoërskool Fichardtpark in September.
“When I arrived at CUT, I realised that there wasn’t a cheerleading team and that’s where I saw an opportunity to start a team using my experience, passion and love for cheerleading,” said coach Vani Chaka, a first-year student in the faculty of humanities at the CUT.
“So, I went to the CUT sports office and asked for an opportunity to start a cheerleading team.
“When we started, the team only had four athletes and at times I thought it was never going to be a success.
“However, deep down I felt that it would be useless for me to study for four full years at the university and not bring any positive change.”
With the team now boasting 17 athletes, Chaka believes if it was not for their commitment and dedication, they would not have bought the gold medal home.
“From here the aim is for the team to achieve more and to promote individual achievements amongst the athletes as I am planning to get them to trials and for them to get provincial and national colours,” she added.
Nomfundo Ngwetsheni, chairperson of the CUT cheerleading team, said: “As much as most of us were inexperienced we expected to do well, not necessarily win.
“However, because of our dedication and all the hard work we put in, we knew we have something special to offer as a team.”
