Monday afternoon and Neumarkt is packed. Everyone is awaiting the highlight of the day ...
In preparation for the competition on Tuesday the teams are presenting part of their routine today.
The athletes are warming up behind the stage. Choruses are being practiced one last time, pompoms swirl through the air and routines are repeated. The San Francisco team is already very nervous: “We’re here as ambassadors for American cheerleading. We hope to win over many Germans for this amazing sport”, says Ron, one of the participants.
Now it’s starting. A few introductory words from the presenter Alfonso Pantisano, that’s all that is needed to get the crowd going. The first team has barely appeared and the audience goes wild. San Francisco is first up and immediately wins the hearts of the crowd. Spectacular leaps, breathtaking acrobatics and rousing choruses – all of Neumarkt is clapping and dancing. The following teams from New York and Los Angeles also thrill with their polished routines and captivating music.
The audience is overwhelmed by the spectacle. “I just don’t know where to look first. I have rarely seen such an amazing show”, says Renate. She just came into town to go shopping but then she was attracted by the loud music.
When the specially written cheer “Gay Games 2010” starts Neumarkt goes wild, everybody is dancing and partying along.
It is the perfect starting point for the only German Team, the “Berlin Boys”. With a routine set to Christina Aguileras “Car Wash” the boys show that German cheerleading has nothing to be ashamed of. The American teams are impressed. “The routine was awesome. I have to steal one or another figure”, admits Sanford, trainer of the San Francisco Team.
Cheerleading - an exciting sport and all for a good cause. All teams consist of volunteers who collect money for people in need. Here at the Gay Games Cologne all donations and returns go to the AIDS relief Cologne and the Federation of Gay Games.
More photos can be found at http://www.qubesport.net/photos
