Botswana catches cheerleading fever
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday June 11, 2022 06:00
The captain of the team will always date thisIn most American movie lines, a cheerleader was that pretty girl who sat in the stands and cheered the boys as they sweat it out on the pitch. The captain of the team will always date this pretty girl. The pretty girl always had a group of girls that she walks around with. As time evolved, the group started providing entertainment.
Things have now changed. Cheerleading is no longer about entertainment, it is now an Olympic sport. The cheerleading trend has reached Botswana shores. Back in 2015, Botswana Cheerleading Federation (BCF) was formed and formally registered in 2018. BCF public relations officer, Tirelo Ditshipi told Mmegi Sport that they gained provisional membership of the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) in March last year and with the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), in December 2020. BCF is now a recognised affiliate of BNSC but they are not full members of the BNOC. “It all started as far back as 2006, with a club known as Soccer Babes as a brainchild of the current BCF president, Neo Selwe. Interest in the sport grew then and more and more people wanted to join but the numbers were overwhelming. It was only right to register as a federation to bring more people and form clubs in order to affiliate with the BNSC.
The cherry on top was realising that cheerleading is a growing international sport hence the birth of the BCF. Currently, we have 12 clubs affiliated with BCF,” she said. Ditshipi explained that during its formative stages, cheerleading often encouraged other students to show up for games and participate in school events. She said the sport improves group work as well as training of the mind and body. She added that it is considered a rigorous sport and that cheerleaders are the connection between the crowd and the sport. Ditshipi said there is a lot of interest from parents who wish to register their children. “The response is positive.
It is a new sport and pulling crowds requires activities that need funds that we are still battling with,” she said. Ditshipi said as a way of improving their visibility, they feature in sporting activities. She said they performed at the Diacore marathon and they are billed to perform at the Lobatse Sports Festival in July. Just like other sporting codes, BCF is hit by financial constraints and a lack of sponsorship. “We are in desperate need of sponsors to prepare for the Africa Championships scheduled for October in South Africa,” she said.
Ditshipi said auditions for the national team were held in December but they were not satisfied with the variety. She explained that the age groups were concentrated in one category of over 18 years, but they plan to hold another round soon. She said cheerleading is complex and at the moment they are concentrating on two categories being cheer pom and hip hop cheer. She said that is because they are not technically and tactically advanced as a country yet. Cheerleaders have to deal with the moral compass of society regarding the dress code. The cheerleaders show skin because they wear tighter short skirts and short tops. But Ditshipi said they have not received any negative reaction because there are other established sporting codes like netball, swimming, volleyball, and tennis that dress similarly to them. “Mind you, there are pants (tights) under the short skirts for the cheerleaders,” she said. pretty girl. The pretty girl always had a group of girls that she walks around with.
As time evolved, the group started providing entertainment. Things have now changed. Cheerleading is no longer about entertainment, it is now an Olympic sport.
The cheerleading trend has reached Botswana shores. Back in 2015, Botswana Cheerleading Federation (BCF) was formed and formally registered in 2018. BCF public relations officer, Tirelo Ditshipi told Mmegi Sport that they gained provisional membership of the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) in March last year and with the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), in December 2020. BCF is now a recognised affiliate of BNSC but they are not full members of the BNOC. “It all started as far back as 2006, with a club known as Soccer Babes as a brainchild of the current BCF president, Neo Selwe. Interest in the sport grew then and more and more people wanted to join but the numbers were overwhelming. It was only right to register as a federation to bring more people and form clubs in order to affiliate with BNSC.
The cherry on top was realising that cheerleading is a growing international sport hence the birth of BCF. Currently, we have 12 clubs affiliated with BCF,” she said. Ditshipi explained that during its formative stages, cheerleading often encouraged other students to show up for games and participate in school events. She said the sport improves group work as well as training of the mind and body. She added that it is considered a rigorous sport and that cheerleaders are the connection between the crowd and the sport. Ditshipi said there is a lot of interest from parents who wish to register their children. “The response is positive. It is a new sport and pulling crowds requires activities that need funds that we are still battling with,” she said. Ditshipi said as a way of improving their visibility, they feature in sporting activities.
She said they performed at the Diacore marathon and they are billed to perform at the Lobatse sports festival in July. Just like other sporting codes, BCF is hit by financial constraints and a lack of sponsorship. “We are in desperate need of sponsors to prepare for the Africa Championships scheduled for October in South Africa,” she said. Ditshipi said auditions for the national team were held in December but they were not satisfied with the variety. She explained that the age groups were concentrated in one category of over 18 years, but they plan to hold another round soon. She said cheerleading is complex and at the moment they are concentrating on two categories being cheer pom and hip hop cheer. She said that is because they are not technically and tactically advanced as a country yet.
Cheerleaders have to deal with the moral compass of society regarding the dress code. The cheerleaders show skin because they wear tighter short skirts and short tops. But Ditshipi said they have not received any negative reaction because there are other established sporting codes like netball, swimming, volleyball, and tennis that dress similarly to them. “Mind you, there are pants (tights) under the short skirts for the cheerleaders,” she said.