By Michaela Althouse

Spirits soared at the annual 21st Century Cheer competition last month, where local Blanchardstown team Fusion Elite took the Spirit Award.

It was the second competition for Dublin native Chinwe Glenny Anyanwu, and one she’ll never forget.

Chinwe, 13, has been cheering for a year and a half and was inspired to join from all the pop culture surrounding the sport. The child of Nigerian immigrants, with a background in Irish dancing (via Crossans Dancing School), begged her mother for months to let her join a sport she admired so much.

“I used to watch movies like Bring It On and all, and it looked so fun, ” said the first year pupil at Hartstown Community School.

Chinwe joined Fusion Elite All-Star Cheerleading, which coaches competitive teams in cheering and dance. Her team practices twice a week, and 21st Century Cheer, or 21CC, is their big annual competition, this year taking place on Gormanstown, Co Meath.

The whole day was dedicated to the show, from hair and makeup to conditioning, rehearsals and then the main performance.

Chinwe is a back-spot on her squad, but had the opportunity to be a flyer last week in the routine. It’s something she does not get to do often, because she’s so tall, and she enjoyed the change of pace.

“Cheerleading is not just an individual sport, it’s also a team sport,” she said. “You have to work with everyone, you have to learn how to be nice.”

Beyond 21CC, Fusion also has international aspirations, and Chinwe hopes to travel with them to Florida in two years’ time for a much larger competition.

Her own future aspirations include a career in paediatric medicine, but Chinwe doesn’t want to part ways with cheering completely and hopes to become a part-time coach on the side. The recent competition win is just one more show of her spirit.

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