02 Aug 2023

Botswana Cheerleading Federation president says with adequate financial support the body has potential evidenced by the triumphant of their two members at the recent Africa Cheerleading Championships.

A team comprising of two young girls Katlego and Kimberly Matheakgomo recently won first place in Durban, South Africa.

The duo competed against four other cheerleading giants and emerged victorious, having won gold medals in Freestyle Pom category and silver medals in Hip-hop doubles category.

Neo Selwe said that they had initially registered in other categories but could not compete due to transport and financial challenges.

“The mother to the two young girls strived and found sponsorship for them and they were sponsored by Showcase in transport, food and accommodation,” Selwe said.

She added that they had not prepared the girls emotionally for the championships as it was their first international competition but nonetheless the duo proved to be daring and made history.

For her part, 14 year old cheerleading athlete, Katlego Matheakgomo, said that they had a remarkable experience despite the challenges they faced, they got to embrace different styles and routines of their competition.

“Rehearsals were back to back with school and we had late night sessions that were exhausting but it was all for a good cause,” she said.

Another cheerleading athlete, Kimberly Matheakgomo, 10, implored aspiring cheerleaders to work hard and to believe in themselves to do well in their aspirations. “This was my very first competition and I was very scared seeing how well other groups had practiced and even though we didn’t finish our dance at the competition we proved to be incomparable to the rest,” added Kimberly.

The cheerleading team now has its sights set on the national competitions in December this year and are calling out to children who have interest in the sport to join as well as sponsors who will help the athletes in their journey to international competitions. ENDS