Tattooed tradie to compete at cheerleading world championships - Stuff.co.nz

March 27, 2019 at 12:25PM

The Bigair cheerleading team from Wellington are off to the world championships in the United States next month, Matt Hunter, right, says people are surprised when he reveals his sport outside of being a tradie.

Cheerleading is a woman's world. At least, that is the stereotype, one tattooed tradie Matt Hunter is defying.

Hunter, from Palmerston North, has been cheerleading for some time now, and says views on his sport of choice can range from absolute shock to pure admiration.

He often gets odd looks when he first tells his colleagues or mates he's a cheerleader, but after showing them the footage most are impressed by what he can do.

"I got a bit of stick for the first few weeks working with them. I showed them a video and kind of stopped them talking. It's not all throwing pompoms in the air," Hunter told Stuff.

Hunter will be with the Elite Wellington cheerleading squad, Bigair Cheer, next month when they contest the world championships in Florida, against the best in the world.

Hunter is one of two men in the 19-member squad, very much outnumbered by the 'girls' club'. "Cheerleading for me, it sounded a bit girly to me, but I kind of caved in and after about two or three weeks of trying it, I found it very hard and wanted to learn more," he told Stuff. Hunter, 25, took up cheerleading in Palmerston North before he moved to Wellington to continue his career in landscape carpentry. He says cheerleading is as physically demanding as his labouring job, as well as his other main sport, hockey. "Being a guy in cheerleading, when you meet other guys you kind of become really close friends with them because you've got to stick together. It is pretty female dominant sport, so it has been really good.1 NEWSNew Zealand team Big Air Cheer will make their debut on the world stage in Florida next month.

"Obviously there is a stereotype behind it, but once you get into it you realise its physically demanding. People call me weak for what I am doing but that is crazy.

"It's a very intense sport and you get to hang around girls all the time."

Hunter has dated a few of his team-mates, but he quickly learned love and sport didn't work for him because the 'cheer world' is very small in new Zealand.

"Obviously girls talk, so better to stay away from that."

Hunter has seen more injuries in cheerleading than hockey and says it is the worst feeling when he drops one of the girls from a great height during a move.

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Big Air Cheer will compete at the world championship's next month in the US against the best in the world.

Bigair Cheer's owner and coach William Davenport and his wife saw an ad on Trade Me for a gymnastics and cheerleading business a decade ago.

With no previous experience, they started the cheerleading squad from ground zero and now have 11 teams.

Bigair Cheer are the first team outside Auckland to go to the world championships. They are the only New Zealand team competing in Florida.

The Cheerleading World Championships are held every year in Orlando, Florida at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

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Matt Hunter, is one of two males in Big Air Cheer. The cheerleading squad will be competing at the worlds in Florida over Easter.