They came, they flipped, they conquered: Why these Aussies have a lot to cheer about

The routine lasted just 2½ minutes, but behind it lay the long hours of training that have made a Melbourne team world champion cheerleaders.

The Prodigy team from the Pure Allstars Cheerleading & Dance Sports Club in Burwood successfully took out all its competition at the Cheerleading Worlds last month in Orlando, Florida, returning victorious with the coveted gold trophy.

It’s the first time an Australian team has walked away with the top prize in its category at the international competition.

Pure Allstars Prodigy cheerleading team member Ciara Heffernan is flipped by teammates during practice.Credit: Chris Hopkins

The preparation took hours of work, including tumbling drills, strength training and practising air stunts.

Teammates Ben Hall and Ciara Heffernan had been taking part in cheer for a decade before going on to compete in the US last month at the championships.

Hall, 18, who has also been coaching at the gym for a year, said getting to perform alongside the best in the world was a surreal experience.

Prodigy team members during training at their Burwood base. Credit: Chris Hopkins

“It took a long time for the win to actually sink in because no Australian team has ever won at world championships before … when we found out that we jumped up to first place it was a pretty big deal,” he said.

Heffernan, who can maintain a wide smile while simultaneously doing a flip and being thrown in the air, said the team had a strong bond.

“It’s been all of our dreams since we were young, so to have achieved that is really amazing.”

She said the team came to the competition as the underdog because it wasn’t well known and was competing against countries such as Canada, Chile, Mexico and the UK.

“People didn’t expect us to be as good as we were, so being able to put what we did out there and show everyone who we are and what we can do was special.”

Coach April Jenkins said the group trained three times a week for up to four hours to get competition ready. And when they landed in the US last month, the team members trained every day to perfect their stunts.

“No one from Australia’s ever won [in 20 years] ... but now we have, which is crazy,” the 24-year-old coach said. “There was a crowd of people, standing up and clapping for us as we were walking through the whole arena. Everyone was so happy that Australia finally made it.”

Ciara Heffernan (left), Georgia Epple and Jack Maillard with their world champion medals.Credit: Chris Hopkins

There were 16 team members on the squad, some of whom are based in the US after being accepted to study and cheer at college level.

But the group also faced roadblocks before getting there, Jenkins said. Some people struggled with attending due to the cost, and she and the gym’s co-owner had to step in as performers to make sure they could compete in the world championships.

But in the end, all the obstacles the team overcame made the win even better, she said.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.