DEL.ICIO.USThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/12/08
You wouldn't think 20,000 kids, most of them girls or young women, would all want to be seen wearing the same piece of clothing.
But the allure of a jacket has brought those ponytailed thousands to Atlanta. It is the prize for winning a championship at the CheerSport Nationals, this weekend at the Georgia World Congress Center.
 Joey Ivansco/ AJC | ||
| Kayla Ferrell and other members of Southern Magic practice recently. | ||
|
"When you win at CheerSport, it's like you have all the bragging rights in the world," said Kayla Ferrell, a member of the Southern Magic club based in Lawrenceville that won last year. Ferrell, a senior at Stone Mountain High School, was so proud of her prize that she said she even wore her pullover jacket in the summer.
Said teammate Nicole Weaver, "It doesn't completely fit like it did last year, but I wear it as much as I can."
The competitive cheerleading and dance meet is an Atlanta-born and -bred event that began 11 years ago with 32 teams in a high school gym and now fields 900 teams from 40 states and Canada. CheerSport says it is the largest cheerleading championship in the world, an accomplishment indeed worthy of a salutation of spirit fingers.
"Especially for the Southeast, if you're in cheerleading, you know what CheerSport's all about," said Vivian Autry, owner of the Infinity Titans club in Peachtree City.
In addition to the 20,000 flip-flopping competitors, ranging from 4 years old to a few in their 40s, an additional 50,000 coaches, parents, siblings and grandparents will take over downtown this weekend. The competition will be run over two days at the Georgia World Congress Center.
"It's something that, if you've never been before, you're going to be blown away," said Rochelle Diah, owner, director and coach at Southern Magic, which also operates in Tucker. "There's so many people and so many kids."
Participants rave about the organization and excitement of the event, which unfolds on eight different stages and a warm-up room bigger than three football fields.
"If they say your team's going on at 3:05, you'd better be there to watch your kid at 3:05," Autry said. "Very few competitions are like that."
BY THE NUMBERS
2 The number of scouts from Cirque du Soleil that will be at the event looking for future cast members.
2:30 Duration, in minutes and seconds, of the routines, which include tumbling, dance and stunts set to music.
4 Number of years (2002-05) that Miley Cyrus, aka Hannah Montana, competed at CheerSport with her Nashville-based team, now called Premier Tennessee Cats. Her "Life's What You Make It" is one of the most frequently used songs for routines, along with Linkin Park's "Bleed It Out" and music from "High School Musical" and "Hairspray."
5 Percent of competitors who are male.
8 Number of tractor-trailers that CheerSport will drive from Charlotte with equipment.
13 Number of special needs teams that will compete. "She just fell in love with it right away," said Bobette Jarrell, mother of Erin, 10, a member of the Infinity Titans of Peachtree City. Jarrell said that Erin loves "just the whole idea of cheerleading, from having her friends and teammates. They do tumbling and stunting and learn cheers and routines."
150-200 Number of injuries treated annually. CheerSport said most are relatively minor, such as sprained ankles, and pointed out that it uses padded floors and retains an on-site medical staff.
3,394 Distance in miles, as the crow flies, that the Denali Shooting Stars team from Wasilla, Alaska, will travel to participate.
1 million Rough amount of square footage used by the competition in the Georgia World Congress Center, an area larger than Centennial Olympic Park.
$33 million Estimated economic impact. Among events and conventions scheduled for Atlanta in 2008, it ranks fifth in both attendance and economic impact.
Services »
