TRAINING TIMES 2020-21:
Wednesdays: 6-8pm
Thursdays: 8-10pm
Fridays: 7-9am
Sunday: 4-6pm
TRAINING
Our first team trains three times a week and our second team trains twice a week. Once a week our teams train together which enables our whole squad to get to know each other! Training is at the University of Cambridge Sports Centre.
Each training session lasts two hours. Training involves learning and developing skills, such as new stunts or tumbles, and building a competition routine. During the joint training session with both teams we do strength, conditioning and flexibility training.
The Cambridge Cougars work with Vogue Athletics All-Star Cheerleading based near Cambridge so a few times during the season we visit their purpose-built gym to train on a sprung floor before competitions. We also have links with Cambridge Gymnastics Academy and many of our athletes visit their gym to develop their gymnastics skills.
COMPETITIONS AND PERFORMANCES
Before the first competition, the Cambridge Cougars usually have a showcase where both teams get to show off their routines that they have been preparing all season to friends and family. This is a great way to practice performing to a crowd before hitting the competition floor and to raise the profile of cheerleading in Cambridge!
Every year we compete in two national competitions in Lent Term. During the 2019/2020 season we competed at Future Cheer University Nationals and Legacy Alpha and Omega University National Championships, both in February. These are fun and full-on days where both teams' hard work pays off as they get to perform their routines to thousands of people. Check out our blog posts (link) to find out more about how we got on at competitions during the 2019/2020 season.
We also support other Cambridge teams at their varsities and perform at a range of events, including May Balls!
POST-COMPETITIONS
Once competitions are over, we continue to train with relaxed sessions where athletes can try out whatever skills they want to! We organise fun sessions such as "Bring a Boy to Cheer" where athletes can bring along friends to try out cheerleading in a chilled environment.
Every Easter Term, we run Cuppers which is an inter-collegiate competition. Athletes from different Cambridge colleges form teams of both cheerleaders and non-cheerleaders and train for a few hours before showing off their mini routines. The last Cuppers winners were the St John's Jaguars who impressed the judges with their creative routine!
SOCIALS AND EVENTS
Along with training hard, the Cambridge Cougars love their socials! Our Social Secretary organises a variety of events throughout the year, including nights out, swaps, formals and end of term/season celebrations. Our Welfare Officer also organises a number of fun welfare-oriented socials, including film and pizza nights. All socials are open to both teams which means we all become a cheerleading family very quickly!
We also have links with a number of clubs in Cambridge which means the Cougars always have tickets to nights out. After every Varsity we visit Sunday Life/Vinyl which is one of the biggest nights of the season where we get to celebrate our competition successes and take over the dancefloor!
