Cheer Singapore To Inject Cheering Culture Into Sporting Singapore

20 MAR 2010

Cheer Singapore To Inject Cheering Culture Into Sporting Singapore

Singapore, 20 March 2010 - The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is issuing a rallying call to all Singaporeans to get on their feet and cheer at sport events through its new campaign, Cheer Singapore. Part of the SSC’s Let’s Play movement, the campaign plans to use cheering as a way to get more Singaporeans to use their voices and back our athletes as they blaze the trail towards the first-ever Youth Olympic Games to be held in Singapore from 14 to 26 August.

  1. It is hoped that over time, a vibrant cheering culture will be developed in Singapore, in which a nation will spontaneously rally together and show their support for local athletes by cheering at events across all sporting arenas. Cheer Singapore was launched by Guest-of-Honour, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports at the inaugural National Cheerleading Championships, held at the Singapore Expo today.

  2. In the heart of the Cheer Singapore will be a series of three cheers - each with its own unique purpose. The SSC is aiming to have these cheers reverberate at all competition venues across Singapore, for the first time, during the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games in August. Singaporeans are also encouraged to use these cheers to root for Team Singapore as they compete at major games such as the upcoming Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games in October and the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games in November.

  3. Minister Vivian said, “The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games is a once in a lifetime occasion for Singaporeans and our athletes. This is our athletes’ chance to make their efforts on home ground count. I urge all Singaporeans to head down to the various YOG venues to support and cheer on our athletes to help them blaze a trail, and make these games truly a Team Singapore success.”

  4. The first cheer, specially developed and performed by local singer JJ Lin, will be used by spectators during sports events to rally supporters together to get them to cheer during sports events and make their presence felt at the venues. The next two cheers will serve as victory and encouragement cheers - Singaporeans can use these cheers in celebration of Team Singapore’s sporting achievements as well as to show the nation’s continued support for the local athletes during competitions. Each of these catchy cheers will be accompanied by simple cheer movements.

  5. “Sporting events, by their nature, provoke strong feelings in people,” said Alex Chan, Chairman, Singapore Sports Council. “Sometimes they make us want to scream with joy. Sometimes they make us want to shout in frustration. Sporting Singapore wants to hear this kind of wonderful noise at our events. With Cheer Singapore, we hope to kick-start the culture with some organised cheering and cheer-leading. In time, this culture will become spontaneous, a natural evolution of who we are as sports fans.”

  6. The three cheers will be revealed in phases, with the full version of the first cheer slated to go live on Thursday, 22 April 2010. Participants of the 1st National Cheerleading Championships were treated to a sneak preview of one of the cheers after it was unveiled by Minister Vivian at the event. The remaining two cheers will hit the streets by end May 2010.

  7. “The introduction of Cheer Singapore is the first step towards creating a cheering culture in Singapore,” added Mr Chan. “We hope the three cheers will resonate with everyone in Singapore. We want people to cheer with one voice when we welcome athletes from across the world to Singapore.”

  8. Singaporeans can keep their eyes peeled for the cheer motivators who will be bringing the cheers to the ground through flash mobs that will be happening across Singapore over from 22 April 2010 onwards. Members of the public can also look forward to learning the cheers through series of roadshows that will take place from late April onwards. The cheers will be making its rounds to the various schools, including schools under the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games twinning programme.

1st National Cheerleading Championships

  1. To kick off Cheer Singapore, the SSC, with the support of the Federation of Cheerleading (Singapore), held the 1st National Cheerleading Championships 2010, which took place at the Singapore Expo today. The competition, which featured cheering and cheerleading categories, saw over 40 teams competing for the titles of Singapore’s top cheerleading and cheering team. The 1st National Cheerleading Championships 2010 is presented by Nestle MILO.

  2. The winning teams in each category will be nominated as cheer motivators for the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. They will perform and cheer at selected competition venues during Singapore 2010, engaging Team Singapore supporters in building a dynamic atmosphere among the spectators.

1st National Cheerleading Championships 2010 Fact Sheet
The 1st National Cheerleading Championships is the first event held as part of the Singapore Sports Council’s (SSC) new cheer campaign, Cheer Singapore. The event is organised by the SSC, with the support of the Federation of Cheerleading (Singapore). The championships will showcase two categories - cheering and cheerleading.

Categories and Participating Teams

a) Cheering Category:

Primary School Teams

  1. MGS Dazzlers
  2. Qihua Primary School
  3. Radin Mas Primary School
  4. St. Hilda’s Primary School
  5. Telok Kurau Primary School

Secondary Schools Teams

  1. Ang Mo Kio Secondary School
  2. Holy Innocents’ High School
  3. YTSA One! Team

Senior High and Open Teams

  1. Braddell Heights CC Legacy
  2. ITE Collect East
  3. KR Steppers
  4. NUS Alpha Verve
  5. Ulu Pandan Wildcards

b) Cheerleading Category

Primary School Division Teams

  1. Kranji Primary School - Kranji Kougars
  2. Shuqun Primary School - Shuqun Starlets
  3. St Hildas Primary School

Senior High Division Teams

  1. Magnum Force
  2. RP Rexaz
  3. Singapore Poly
  4. Temasek Poly
  5. Chong Boon Secondary school - Groovers
  6. MGS Secondary

Open Teams

  1. NUS Alpha Verve
  2. NTU Aces Team 1
  3. Ulu Pandan Wildcards
  4. NTU Aces Team 2
  5. KR Steppers
  6. DECS
  7. Denvers Cheerleading Team

Group Stunts Mixed Teams

  1. RP Rexaz
  2. Legacy All Stars
  3. Magnum Force Team 1
  4. Ulu Pandan Wildcards
  5. NUS Alpha Verve
  6. SMU Flare
  7. VJ Knights Team 1
  8. VJ Knights Team 2
  9. VJ Knights Team 3
  10. Magnum Force Team 2
  11. DAS
  12. Denvers Team 2

Group Stunts Female Teams

  1. VJ Knights
  2. RP Rexaz
  3. SMU Flare
  4. Magnum Force Team 1
  5. Magnum Force Team 2
  6. NUS Alpha Verve
  7. KR steppers
  8. SP Gusto

Prizes

Cheering Category
Primary School Division - $500 each for the top 3 teams Secondary School Division - $500 each for the top 3 teams Open and Senior High Division - $500 each for the top 6 teams

Cheerleading Category
All winning cheerleading teams will receive trophies and medals.

Note: All participants will receive certificates of participation. All winning teams for both the cheering and cheerleading categories will have a chance to perform at the YOG pre-show and selected competition venues during Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. They will also performance at cheer outreach roadshows between April to August 2010.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Hazwani Hasni
Singapore Sports Council
Office: 6500 5246
Email: hazwani_hasni@ssc.gov.sg

About Singapore Sports Council
Formed in 1973, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is tasked with developing a holistic sports culture for the nation. The SSC creates opportunities for people to excel in sports; opportunities for people to be engaged in sports as, coaches, officials, volunteers or fans; and opportunities for people to do business in sports as sponsors and investors. The SSC has changed the way Singaporeans view and participate in sports. Through sports, we now have an enhanced national identity thanks to our sports participation programmes; greater national pride as a result of high performance results at international and regional games; and more diversified economic stability through our vibrant sports industry initiatives.

To find out more, visit our website www.sportsingapore.gov.sg
Join SSC on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/singaporesports
Join Singaporesports.sg on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/livebetterthroughsport
For a range of photographs, search for “Singapore Sports Council” on www.flickr.com/photos/ssc-sportsphotography

About Let’s Play
Let’s Play is a nation-wide movement by the Singapore Sports Council to encourage everyone in Singapore to embrace sports as a lifestyle choice. Sports, while also fun, offers health and social benefits. Let’s Play seeks to connect, energise and enrich everyone from all walks of life through the many aspects of sports, be it playing, watching, cheering or volunteering. For more information on Let’s Play, please visit www.sportsingapore.gov.sg.