They came, they flipped, they conquered: Why these Aussies have a lot to cheer about

“It’s been all of our dreams since we were young, so to have achieved that is really amazing.”

She said the team came to the competition as the underdog because it wasn’t well known and was competing against countries such as Canada, Chile, Mexico and the UK.

“People didn’t expect us to be as good as we were, so being able to put what we did out there and show everyone who we are and what we can do was special.”

Coach April Jenkins said the group trained three times a week for up to four hours to get competition ready. And when they landed in the US last month, the team members trained every day to perfect their stunts.

“No one from Australia’s ever won [in 20 years] … but now we have, which is crazy,” the 24-year-old coach said. “There was a crowd of people, standing up and clapping for us as we were walking through the whole arena. Everyone was so happy that Australia finally made it.”

There were 16 team members on the squad, some of whom are based in the US after being accepted to study and cheer at college level.

But the group also faced roadblocks before getting there, Jenkins said. Some people struggled with attending due to the cost, and she and the gym’s co-owner had to step in as performers to make sure they could compete in the world championships.

But in the end, all the obstacles the team overcame made the win even better, she said.