By Russell Bennett
The athletes involved at Pakenham’s Starstruck Dance and Cheerleading Academy don’t cheer for other sports teams when it comes to competing at the top level.
Together, they are the team.
Later this month, from 29 November until 1 December, Starstruck will send 250 athletes to compete in their sport’s crowning glory – the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation (AASCF) National Cheer & Dance Championships at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
All told, there will be more than 12,000 competitors taking part in the championships, from just shy of a staggering 2000 teams.
Put simply, All Star cheerleading is a competitive sport that involves males and females performing two-minute and 30-second routines composed of stunting, pyramids, group tumbling, jumping, and a dance break. Each routine is performed and scored against other competition teams.
Since opening its doors in 2011, Starstruck has been a place where dance and athletic dreams have become a reality.
Owned by local couple Jess and Daniel Zula, Starstruck (SDCA) serves hundreds of local families each week. All up, there are nearly 800 athletes involved there, from three-year-old budding ballerinas, to older, high-level athletes.
Programs are specifically-designed at SDCA for youngsters from a range of ages or ability levels.
In fact, SDCA has become such an integral, growing part of the south-east growth corridor that it’s already outgrown its first two local facilities, before finding its current home on Southeast Boulevard – just south of the freeway in Pakenham.
Starstruck boasts one of the largest and most equipped facilities of its kind in Australia, with three dance studios, two full-sized sprung cheerleading floors, a ‘ninja’ zone, and an on-site café.
Jess said she’s thrilled with the result.
“My dream was to create a dance, cheerleading, and acrobatics hub in Pakenham that the whole family can be involved in,” she said.
“Mum and dad can catch up over coffee whilst one child may be in a ballet class, and her brother might be climbing the rock wall.
“What is unique to Starstruck is our different program streams.”
Jess was quick to point out just what’s involved in competitive, All Star cheerleading.
“It’s genuine team sport,” she said.
“There’s a real misconception there. I have a lot of parents ringing me up, thinking it’s all about pom-poms, that kind of thing.
“They’ve got that American college idea in the back of their minds, and they don’t realise just how athletic it is.
“These kids are so much fitter than me – they’re doing 100 burpees, line runs, they’re really getting into it, particularly our high-level competitive teams.
“They’re high-level athletes, but it’s just so tough to break through that barrier, so we’ve put a focus on that side of things and making people realise it’s a sport – it takes a lot of commitment and dedication.
“When most parents come here, to Starstruck, they’re shocked – it teaches the kids so much about respect and discipline – it’s great.
“Our facilities are state of the art, too. People often come here who didn’t even realise this was in Pakenham.”
But Jess said what she loves most about the SDCA is the reactions constantly etched across its young athletes’ faces.
“What I love the most about our new facility is the reaction I see on a child’s face as they walk in for the first time or try their first class,” she said.
“The confidence that children get from performance-based after school activities is amazing. We feel truly blessed to be a part of something really special.”
