A cheerleading club in Sunnydale, Cheer & Tumbling Stars, proved their mettle on the international stage and scooped fourth place at the International Cheerleading Union (ICU) World Cheerleading Championships which were held in Orlando, Florida in April.
Eleven athletes from Cheer & Tumbling Stars were selected to represent South Africa in the Youth Coed Median division at the ICU World Championships, said head coach, Samantha Higgins.
Cheer & Tumbling Stars are a local cheerleading and tumbling club based in Sunnydale.
The cheerleaders returned from their trip overseas on Wednesday 28 April.
Higgins was also the SA Youth Co-ed Team coach.
“Under my coaching, the team achieved an impressive fourth place finish, marking a significant milestone for our club and the local community. Our athletes hail from various schools in the area, including: Generation School Imhoff (5 athletes), Fish Hoek High School (1 athlete), Sun Valley Primary School (1 athlete) and one cottage school in Capricorn (1 athlete).

“Additionally, one of our talented athletes was selected to compete in the Junior All-Girl Advanced team, showcasing the depth of talent within our club.
“Cheerleading, now recognised as an Olympic sport, demands a combination of athleticism, teamwork, and discipline. Our athletes’ dedication and hard work have not only brought pride to our club but also serve as an inspiration to aspiring cheerleaders in the community,” she said.
Higgins was also selected as the Coach of the SA Youth Coed Team.
The 11 students who represented SA in the Youth Coed division from Cheer & Tumbling Stars were: Emma Hirschberg, Ruby Farquhar, Addison Barker-Goldie, Tayla Barker-Goldief, Isla Summers (all from Generation School Imhoff), Grace Daniels, from Sun Valley Primary School; Imogen Collins, from Call of the wild, Sophia Odendaal, from Willows, Lolly Mhone, from Springfields Convent; Layla MacNaughton, from Herschel and Nadia Kok from Fish Hoek High School.
“Savannah Farh-Becker (International School of Cape Town) had the honours of competing in the SA Junior all Girl team,” Higgins said.
Odendaal says she is very passionate about cheerleading and gymnastics.
“We trained almost every weekend since the start of 2025 until April, and we worked hard and pushed through the tough times.
“What was challenging was competing against all the amazing teams. It felt fantastic competing on the world’s stage was an amazing experience, and not a lot of people get to experience that,” she said.
Goldie says she’s always been involved in various sports at school.
“I’ve always been into sport some of which include: netball, soccer, swimming, hockey and judo. We were training every weekend for five to six hours a day, which is tiring but it taught me discipline, time management and commitment to a sport,” she explained.
Goldie says her team put up a valiant effort at the championships.
“My main passion is cheerleading. I even enjoy tumbling and flipping around at home. We were so close to beating Ireland but we put up a good fight and came fourth – which was challenging to over come,” she says.
She hopes to be an architect or interior designer someday.
“My goals are to still be a cheer leader when I am older and go to the world championships again and bring the gold home,” she says.
Principal at Generation School Imhoff Caronne Vermaak says she is extremely proud of their learners who competed in the championships.
“We are so proud to have Samantha Higgins (the coach) and her Cheerstars team of coaches as part of our extra-mural programme here at Generation Schools Imhoff. We are delighted that our cheerleaders have accomplished so much in such a short time. These girls have worked with dedication and commitment, proudly and confidently representing our school, their team, and our country,” she said.


You must be logged in to post a comment.