The 2022 Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation All Star Nationals bring thousands to the Gold Coast
Ann Wason Moore says thousands of cheerleaders swarming our city could teach a lesson to whiny residents about the power of positivity. So here’s cheers to the Gold Coast. See what she said
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It’s time to give three cheers for the Gold Coast.
This weekend our city swarmed with thousands of cheerleaders and, I have to admit, I felt incredibly inspired.
It was not simply a matter of the tsunami of sequins, hair teased sky-high or the sweet smell of aerosol hairspray – although that did trigger delightful flashbacks to my 1980s childhood in Dallas, Texas. Altogether, it was much less about the style and more about the substance.
With an estimated 40,000 people coming to our city to compete and, yes, cheer on friends and family at the 2022 Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation All Star Nationals in Broadbeach, it was a festival of positivity.
My own daughter was one of the competitors and watching her from the stands was a completely different atmosphere to so many other team sports I’ve experienced. Rather than fellow parents yelling to and/or at their own children, the other team’s children or the referees and judges, this sport is all about celebrating everyone.
It’s not just a vibe, it’s literally the written rule.
“We pride ourselves in being nice and supportive to everyone,” read the reminder from her coach.
“Cheer for everyone and never speak badly about any other clubs or athletes.
“Smile, take lots of photos, make lots of amazing memories … have fun.”
Certainly the smiles were there for all to see, especially from the thousands who had travelled from interstate to enjoy not just the event, but a GC holiday.
Win or lose, they were just stoked to be here.
It was a reminder to me to appreciate how lucky we are to live here. And it seems I’m not the only who sometimes forgets to cheer on our city.
In fact, one of the most cynical and snarky corners of social media was, this weekend, it’s own little celebration of GC pride.
On Reddit, a recent tourist posted a glorious photo of our city by night with the following caption: “I visited your beautiful city a few weeks ago and I loved it.”
It was like a dam was released and the love for the Gold Coast poured out from locals.
“Vastly underrated place for quality of life. Yet lots of serial complainers … who, oddly, never seem to leave,” wrote one.
“I live here and I truly feel fortunate to live in such a beautiful city, wedged between the rainforest and the ocean. We are truly blessed here,” wrote another.
While this is lovely to read, it is a little sad that it took cheerleading from a tourist to remind us of just how much we have to be grateful for.
Look, everyday life is full of pressure and stress, full of bills and taxes, so perhaps it’s no surprise that, all too often, we are full of criticism and condemnation when it comes to our hometown.
But that doesn’t mean it’s justified or deserved.
More than that, it’s simply not healthy … not for the Gold Coast and not for ourselves.
Not that I’m pushing toxic positivity, this city is not perfect and we should always champion necessary change. But there’s a difference between advocating and whinging.
And, too often, I feel we fall into the latter category.
Look at the traffic situation. While we all, myself included, regularly complain about congestion, a new report shows it’s nowhere near as bad as we apparently like to think.
According to the Gold Coast’s State of the Transport Network 2022, citywide traffic profiles remain “relatively stable” with weekday AM and PM road network peaks being consistent with those of previous years.
That’s not to say that we don’t need to consider future transportation options for the city. As an ever-growing city, we clearly must.
But let’s focus on the opportunities, not just complain about our perception of reality.
That is true positivity.
And the best way to achieve this?
Cheerleading, of course.
Just as I heard one competitor say on Saturday night, tears streaming down her face after her team travelled from WA and lost: “Let’s just go back on Monday and train even harder … there’s always next year.”
That’s advocating, that’s focusing on opportunities, that’s accepting reality … but remaining positive.
That’s the power of cheerleading.
Go Team GC.
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Originally published as The 2022 Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation All Star Nationals bring thousands to the Gold Coast
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