Macclesfield cheerleader's amongst best in world after season of success
By Megan Bailey
11th Jul 2024 | Local News
A Macclesfield cheerleader is celebrating after finishing the season with a triple threat of honours.
Sarah Highcock, a competitive cheerleader, has recently just finished the 2024 cheerleading season. Her achievements include 2nd in the World, 1st in Spain and the Grand UK National Champion.
She achieved 2nd best in the world representing the entire country of team England Adaptive Abilities Median.
She has also won 1st place at an international competition in Barcelona, Spain on June 15, and on June 29, the Macclesfield retail worker was part of the grand UK National Champions squad with her team Pixies Aurora.
Sarah was only one of 24 competing athletes from all over England to be chosen to represent the nation at the World Championships.
"It felt so unreal to come second in the world," she said.
"It has always been a lifetime dream for me to even just compete there, never mind come home with a silver medal as well.
"It is a proper dream come true. I'm so lucky I had to opportunity to compete there.
"[Sarah and her team also] won Division champions (1st) in the international Level 3 None Tumble Division, it was such an amazing experience to have with my teammates, we even managed to sneak a bit of a holiday in there as well!
"We were up against three other incredibly talented teams in our division, we went out there and gave it our all to finish on a high and ended up winning our division!
"And to top it off we couldn't believe it when we were announced Grand National champions [sic] at the competition, this means we scored the highest score of the day against all those other teams, we couldn't believe it!!
"It was such an incredible way to end my already insane season of cheerleading."
Sarah has been apart of of Hazel Grove's All-Star Gym Pixies since 2009, when she was age 11.
This has been the first year where she has competed at international level.
She started cheerleading when her friend told her about a new cheer club at their primary school and "Thought it sounded pretty cool."
What she loves most about cheer is the team bonds, the thrill of competing in font of crowds and greeting to meet other athletes from across the country.
"I actually started doing cheer at my primary school in Disley," she recalled.
"Then we moved into Poynton and now I train in Hazel Grove."
When she is not wowing the global cheer scene, Sarah works in retail in Macclesfield.
"I've actually only lived around Macclesfield for two years," she explained.
"But I've worked in Macclesfield for longer than that, just over six years now, first at The Body Shop now at The Entertainer. I love Macclesfield!"
However, Sarah's cheerleading career has been majorly affected by her disability of scoliosis which she was diagnosed with at age 19.
Her s-shaped curve in her spinal cord and worn down joints in her neck makes it more difficult in her position as a flyer in cheerleading.
Sarah states "It's had quite a big impact on my ability to carry on with cheer," she revealed.
"To be able to do things such as back stretches in the air and the tumbling, [which is] flips on the ground, can sometimes be [very] painful for me to do, this is why I prefer to be part of a none tumbling team as it puts less pressure on my spine to not tumble, it is frustrating as I wish I could tumble but just cannot.
Her advice to other cheerleaders and sports people with disabilities is 'Don't ever let it hold you back from achieving your goals.
"I spent years thinking I would never be good enough to compete at world championships] as I don't tumble, and am disabled so couldn't reach the highest level of cheerleading.
"It wasn't until I thought to myself what I have actually got to lose by trying that I broke down that self belief, that I wasn't good enough or capable of doing the same things as able-bodied athletes do.
"Don't compare yourself to anyone else, you don't need to be the most skilled or loudest in the room to be a valuable teammate."
Sarah's advice for young people who are looking to get into cheer is "Go for it! There's so many different teams and classes for all ages and abilities from beginners to experienced athletes."
"I wouldn't be the person I am today without cheerleading and my second family at pixies cheer, I used to struggle so badly with social anxiety and shyness, and I was never judged within cheer ever for it."
And she adds "it builds so much confidence, parents if you think your child might like cheerleading get them in it, you won't regret it!!"
She would also like to thank "All my coaches and pixies teammates, without you all I wouldn't be in this privileged position of being able to call myself a silver world champion and a grand champion, the work the coaches do at pixies cheer is just incredible and I owe everything I know about cheer to them."
"I'd also like to say to anyone in any sport young or old, if you feel like you aren't getting anywhere and are thinking of giving up, don't.
"It took me 15 years to get to these results and I'm considered a 'mature' athlete in cheerleading at the age of 26.
"Age and skill doesn't always matter if you're passionate about something, you'll go far it, [it] might just take time to get there."
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