National cheerleading finals crown champions across school divisions at Wolmer's

The national cheerleading season reached its climax on Saturday with the finals staged at Wolmer's Boys Auditorium, where a capacity crowd turned out to watch young athletes deliver high-energy routines across several competitive divisions.

In the primary and preparatory school category, St. Aloysius Primary claimed the title, finishing ahead of Angels Primary and Russell Primary. Port Antonio High led the high school co-ed standings, with Titchfield High in second place and Innswood completing the podium in third.

St. Catherine High topped the high school all-girls division, edging Eltham High and Meadowbrook High. In the all-star bracket, Phoenix Red took first place, followed by Black Lightning and Moon Marshall Eclipse.

Kharyl Jones, president of the Jamaica Cheer Federation and a director at Jamfit, said she was encouraged to see corporate Jamaica putting resources behind a sport that continues to expand. "This one is definitely better. We're getting corporate Jamaica involved and we're really excited that people have come in," she said.

Jones also pointed to growing interest from the preparatory school circuit. G.I.S.A. now runs prep championships and wants cheerleading included in that programme, a move she said the federation is looking forward to next year. "So this is really just something that's culminating into a fantastic sport that everybody's loving here in Jamaica," she added.

She noted that the sport has widened its reach to include basic school children. "I would say it's definitely growing. We started with basic school this morning. So we have the little babies now cheering. So it is definitely growing sport," Jones said.

The cheerleading calendar next turns to the tertiary and all-stars championships, scheduled for November 27.