Beresfield’s Oxygen Allstars cheerleading squads have already made names for themselves in Australia’s burgeoning competitive cheer circuit.
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The self-proclaimed Oxygen Nation is poised to take over the world, but its head coach is calling on the community to lend some support.
Within the next six months, four of the teams will travel internationally to compete. Oxygen’s Open Level Four and Youth Level One teams will travel to New Zealand in October, the Senior Team will travel to Florida in January and an eight to 11-year-old team will travel to Texas in February.
To top it off, the Open Level Five team are vying for a place in the World Championships in Orlando Florida next April.
However, the competitors and families invited to the distant and prestigious events will have to bear the financial costs of travel and accommodation.
In just five years, the gym has gone from being the vision of husband-and-wife team Ryan and Courtney Turton to a commanding force in one of the country’s fastest growing sports.
“We’ve been holding fundraisers and we have more coming up, but we’re calling on businesses and people to help our athletes compete,” head coach Mrs Turton said.
“I’ve largely left it up to the families to organise because I want people to know all the funds are going to the athletes and not my business.”
She said the teams would promote their sponsors and the families would thank anyone who helped them to reach their goals.
“Often we see teams from other sports competing on similar levels get sponsorship a little easier than us because people still see cheerleading as pom-poms and what they see at the footy,” Turton said.
“But it’s so much more, it’s closer to competitive, team gymnastics.
“I was a Knights cheerleader myself and let me tell you, what these kids do is so much more, so elite and skilled it blows me away.
“We now have 180 cheerleaders, 100 of which actively compete across the nation,” Turton said.
“Only last week the Xenon senior level four team finished first in the state at the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation’s Ultimate Battle competition in Sydney, which is amazing.”
Fundraisers have been held at McDonald’s Green Hills and Reading Cinemas. The next fundraiser will be held at Singleton McDonald’s on August 24 at 6pm to 7pm.
Ten per cent of sales made during that time will be donated to the Youth Team bound for Dallas.
Corporate and individual sponsors or anyone interested in the international journeys facing Oxygen’s young, local athletes should contact info@oxygenallstars.com or follow Oxygen All Stars on Facebook.
