2013 SU Update: All-Russian Cheerleading Festival concludes in Kazan

KAZAN – The All-Russian Cheerleading Festival – one of the most spectacular and dramatic projects held under the auspices of the Cultural Universiade – came to an end on April 29. Cheerleaders from 10 cities of Russia assembled in the Miras Sports Complex to decide who deserves to be named the best cheer squad in Russia. The competition line-up was quite impressive; both multi-titled seasoned cheerleading teams and beginners competed for the main trophy.

The opening ceremony was attended by Rafis Burganov, Tatarstan’s Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism; Igor Sivov, Deputy Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate and Kazan 2013 Ceremonies Executive Director, and German Dyakonov, Rector of Kazan National Research Technological University.

On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rafis Burganov extended his greetings to both participants and spectators. «We’ve gathered here today for the tournament of beauty, health and energy», he said and wished good luck to all participants.

«These boys and girls are an integral part of the Universiade. I hope that these faces will stick in our memories. I wish you new achievements and want to remind you that we will be more than happy to see you either as athletes or volunteers during the Games», Igor Sivov said.

The festival was held in two categories: Cheer and Cheer Dance. Cheer includes acrobatic and gymnastics elements, pyramid building and dance routines accompanied by chants and yells. Cheer Dance is all about plasticity, great choreography, grace and synchronicity; it’s a sport dance with elements of gymnastics. Pompoms must be used in Cheer Dance to improve showmanship.

Winner announcement became the most anticipated and exciting highlight of the event. 16 cheer squads from Kazan, Saransk, Yoshkar-Ola, St Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don and Penza were granted the right to perform as volunteer cheerleaders during the 27th World University Summer Games in Kazan. Major trophies in both categories went to Demeter from Rostov-on-Don, 2011 European champions in the Group Stunts category and participants of the 2011 World Championship. Vertigo and Stella from St Petersburg became second-best and third-best cheerleading teams in the Cheer Dance category. The latter was also named the best performer in the Cheer category, with Extreme from Moscow finishing third.

Winners and other entrants of the competition couldn’t hide their feelings; they rejoiced in each other’s victories, admitted that they liked Kazan very much and expressed eagerness to participate in Games-time events. «It’s a great chance for us to show our worth, to make a name for ourselves on the international scene», most entrants said.

Marc Vandenplas, FISU Director for the Summer Universiade, attended the festival as a special guest. Accompanied by Deputies Director General of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate – Azat Kadyrov, Larisa Sulima and Ranko Tepavcevic – he enjoyed watching cheerleading performances and was pleased with the entrants’ level of physical fitness and dancing skills. «The Universiade in Kazan will be even more entertaining than we expect if athletes are supported by such cheerleaders», the FISU official said.

Therefore, the cheerleading festival is the next one in a series of projects powered by the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate and aimed to select Games-time volunteers to work in a wide array of functional areas. The Polyglot 2013 Foreign Language Contest concluded in early April in Kazan; its successful contestants became the first hopefuls that landed team host and language service volunteer roles. Last week saw the final of the Faces of the Universiade All-Russian Contest focused on building victory ceremony escort teams. The cheerleading festival that came to an end on April 29 became a perfect platform to choose volunteers that will be responsible for creating a festive atmosphere during sports sessions.

The festival was facilitated by the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate with assistance from the Russian Cheerleading Federation, Cheerleading Federation of the Republic of Tatarstan and Kazan National Research Technological University.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)

  Igor Sivov

Rafis Burganov, Tatarstan’s Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism

Marc Vandenplas (r)