Kiwi cheerleader wins gold at international competition

An Auckland teenager has won the gold medal in an American cheerleading competition

Alex Gardner and her cheerleading team Top Gun Lady Jags placed first in Orlando Florida in the World Cheerleading Championship.

“It was hard work, we trained so much and we never got weekends off,” she says.

Alex lived in America for a year in order to pursue her dreams of competing for a world championship title.

Alex has been training at the All-Star gym on the North Shore since she was 13, and had already won a gold medal with the New Zealand team in the same championship.

Alex decided to try out for the Lady Jags team by sending through a video trial from New Zealand with hopes of furthering her cheerleading career

The Lady Jags trained four times a week in Miami Florida, and because of where she stayed she had to drive an hour and a half to get to the training facilities.

Sharon Gardner, Alex’s mum, flew to Orlando in order to watch her daughter compete.

“Seeing Alex on that stage meant the world to me, even though it meant that I had to be away from her for such a long time” says Sharon

Being in this team is not cheap, it cost Alex $315 a month for her training fees, and her competition uniform cost around $1500.

David Gardner, Alex’s father, played a huge part in supporting her in achieving her dreams.

“We did anything and everything we could in order to make sure that Alex was able to come home with a gold medal.” Says Mr Gardner.

Alex says she now plans to put her experience and love of cheerleading towards a Degree in Business and Physical Education.