COMPETITION TIME

At the end of June the Mermaids headed to Stratford to compete in our last competition of the academic year. Everyone was nervous but we were prepared. This was the very first competition where I wasn’t nervous and was actually excited to compete! It was also the first competition where I was flying, as opposed to basing.

The routine was creative, we knew it like the back of our hands, so we were all confident.

When we arrived, the atmosphere was amazing, we all received our ‘athlete’ wristbands and went to take a look at the arena. The stage was big, although smaller than some we’ve competed on, and the lighting on the stage was dramatic which helped with the overall feeling of the competition. The seating was tiered and went up quite high so it was quite daunting I’m not gonna lie!!! Everyone was walking about in their uniforms with their hair and makeup ready for their routine.

As we looked around we saw soooooo much merchandise. There were tons of bows in all different colours with loads of different patterns including glitter (there was a load of glitter). There were also loads of cheer tops and sweaters, and a lot of Nike clothing too.

When we went backstage to warm up, that was when the nerves kicked in. We saw other squads practising their routines and were cheering on others as they completed a full out. We stretched, practised jumps, stunts, tumbling and warmed up so we didn’t injure ourselves (although this didn’t work for me (!!!!) unfortunately).

Then it was our time to compete and showcase our routine to the judges. It was exhilarating and the feeling was incredible. Going out there and competing with great people is an amazing feeling. We worked hard together in order to make the routine look good, and luckily we had no stunt falls or bobbles!!
Unfortunately, at the beginning of the routine, I came down funny from a stunt and twisted my ankle which was very painful. But I had to carry on! I wasn’t going to let my team down just because of a sprained ankle. Although its still very painful and swollen I had to carry on for my squad. It’s been 3 weeks now and it still hasn’t healed so hopefully it does soon!

I had an amazing last competition, and can’t wait to be reunited with my squad in September!