How Carnegie cheerleading benefitted my university experience

Before joining Leeds Beckett University, I had looked into the various sports clubs and societies I could sign up to. I had grown up performing with a dance school and competing in artistic gymnastics, even attending horse riding shows, but I had never tried cheerleading… Once I had firmed my offer for Leeds Beckett University, I began scrolling through social media accounts of the different sports and societies available. After searching through Instagram pages including Leeds Beckett Gymnastics and Dance, I soon came across cheerleading and I was instantly intrigued. 

Leeds Beckett has two cheerleading clubs for students to choose from; a Competition Team and a Match Team. 

Match Team cheerleaders perform at club fixtures throughout the year, including the annual Varsity event. Match Team is all about fun. They are a close-knit group filled welcoming anyone and everyone, with no prior experience needed.

Or, if like me, you're looking for something with a more competitive edge you can try out for the competition team. Leeds Beckett has a nationwide reputation in University Cheerleading for being a team to watch in their division. The team has a close partnership with an all-star programme, Aviators Cheer which has now partnered with Unity Allstars to launch  Unity Allstars Leeds, who compete at the Cheerleading World Championships in Florida each year. 

Struggling to decide which team to pick? Match Team and Comp Team support each other all year round, and the social events are combined, so whichever cheer team you join you’ll be able to reap the social benefits of both! 

After fan-girling over the competition cheer social pages I was soon hooked by the fun routines, exciting competitions and crazy social events that cheer involves.

Four years later, I am now nearing the end of my university experience and as I prepare to graduate, upon reflection I am so glad I joined at society at Leeds Beckett. It introduced me to like-minded people, encouraging me to make friends and providing fun memories every week. Training commitments improved my physical health, the ability to manage my time, also benefitting my mental health wellbeing by providing distractions from any study stress.

The Leeds Beckett Athletic Union (AU) oversees 38 sports clubs and over 80 teams, managed by the university's sports office team. Regardless of your sports interest, the AU ensures an exceptional student sport experience at Leeds Beckett. Membership in any cheer team requires AU membership, providing access to gym facilities, fitness classes, swimming pool, athletics track, social sport, hydrobed usage, and all club training activities. This membership covers these amenities, saving costs like a separate gym membership.

Competition cheer training takes place on a Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evenings are dedicated to social events and night outs for club members. Sports and societies usually have regular socials which can be themed, filled with activities and a lot of laughs. In my experience, every Wednesday our social secs would share details into our social media page, letting us know where the social is taking place and what themed outfit to wear. We would start by meeting in Pop World and playing games before heading into the city centre. If drinking isn’t your vibe don’t worry, not all socials involve alcohol, dry socials are organised too! At the end of the season, you’ll have the chance to attend a Sports Ball with lots of other clubs, as well as a Cheer Formal to celebrate your team and committee members.

A huge part of most sports is Varsity which is an annual event where Leeds Beckett’s top sports teams compete against their University of Leeds rivals to claim the famous title. Varsity concludes with the Varsity Rugby Finale at Headingley Stadium, where the men’s and women’s rugby union first teams step out in front of a crowd of 10,000 students. Leeds Beckett Match Team cheerleaders perform before each Varsity match so this is always an exciting time for all cheer members!

If all of the above wasn’t enough for you to turn your head to a society, being part of one enhances your professional portfolio, helping to demonstrate personal skills such as being a team player, time management, along with having extra-curricular interests and passions. All of these points look great on your CV for future employers, as well as helping improve your communication skills and encouraging you to interact with others.