U of A cheerleading team competing in World Championships

From August 2 – 4, the University of Alberta competitive cheerleading team will compete in the 2024 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) World University Cheerleading Championships in Croatia. 

According to head coach Nicole Chang, the team will represent Canada, as well as the U of A, and compete against 15 other countries over the course of three days. Now a U of A graduate, Chang competed with the team for five years while in school.

“I tried out with a few friends and fell in love with the sport immediately. The collaboration, the camaraderie, the friendships, the competitiveness really drew me in.” 

After an injury in her final year of school, Chang took a step back from cheerleading and transitioned into a coaching position.

“Working with these amazing people and seeing them grow and learn, not only as athletes on the mat, but also as people outside of the cheer gym, has been incredibly rewarding,” Chang said. 

Similar to Chang, Chichi Igbelina fell in love with cheer after trying out in her first year at the U of A.

“I tried out and was on the game day team in my first year. I absolutely fell in love with the sport,” Igbelina said. 

“The energy that [the coaches] brought really helped me fall in love with cheer. They were very excited to teach new people and bring new people in. It’s a very welcoming environment.”

Also a recent U of A graduate, Igbelina will attend the FISU Championships as a team captain.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing these athletes take the mat in Croatia,” Chang says

According to Chang, attending this competition will be the highlight of the year for the U of A cheer team. The team tried to go to this competition in 2022, but the tournament was “canceled due to the lagging effects of COVID-19,” Chang said.

In 2022, the team had practiced a routine for months in preparation for the competition before it was canceled. The routine that they will bring to this competition has been in the works for only three months, Chang said. 

“The highlight is being able to try again this year. [To] bring together a group of 17 amazing athletes and do it in less time than we had last time,” Chang said. 

Chang said she is nervous, but also excited for the competition.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing these athletes take the mat in Croatia. On a global stage, representing themselves, our university, as well as our country.”

“I really feel like this could be a hit-zero competition,” Igbelina says 

One of the highlights of the year was when the team hit zero for the first time in practice, Igbelina said. In order to hit zero, a cheer team has to perform their routine perfectly with zero falls or deductions. 

“It was amazing to finally get it. It was so exciting. We were all hugging each other and celebrating after,” Igbelina said. 

Igbelina is excited to see how the team will perform after seeing their routine grow over the past couple months, she said. 

“At first, I was really nervous to compete at a higher level, but we’re doing it and it’s looking really good. I’m so excited to go, I just feel really good about it. I really feel like this could be a hit-zero competition.”