June 16, 2019 at 12:17PM
Indiana Ultimate's Insanity, an all-star competitive cheer team, had 2 minutes and 30 seconds to convince judges it was worthy of the title world champions.
The team ended the routine, composed of stunts, standing and running tumbling, jump sequences and dance, with zero deductions from judges.
The 24-member team waited anxiously at awards, going up against much bigger gyms from around the world.
The moment was surreal when Indiana Ultimate was announced for first place, making it the first gym in Indiana to win at the World Cheerleading Championship.
Sara Ewing, an 18-year-old member of Insanity, remembered many of her teammates being in shock
"Most of us had been working for it our whole lives and it's one of our biggest goals," Ewing said. "Not a lot of people get to say that they're the best in the world at what they do."
Indiana Ultimate first opened its doors in 2006 in Elkhart. Eight years later, it expanded to Fort Wayne.
At both gyms, competitive cheerleading, tumbling classes, recreational cheerleading, school squad training and camps and clinics are offered.
Between the two gyms, there are about 250 competitive athletes, from ages 3 and up. However, each gym sees about 400 members total.
While the gym has competed at Worlds with other teams for the last 14 years, winning wasn't something Charity Torrez, site director of the Fort Wayne gym, expected.
"It's huge. It's something a lot of people don't expect from a little gym," Torrez said. "To be the underdog and then to all of a sudden have the world talking about you, it's a huge deal."
Although cheerleading isn't in the Olympics yet, Torrez said the skill needed for worlds would equal that of the Olympics, with most gyms taking years, if not decades, to win a championship.
Insanity, classified as a small international coed 5, is made up of 20 girls and four boys, ages ranging from 3 to 25.
Throughout the season, the team practices twice a week, and travels around the country for competitions.
In order to qualify for World Championships, the team must receive either a paid bid or an at-large bid, something coach Riley Williams said the team struggled with.
In the past, the gym has usually received a paid bid. This year in Dallas, Insanity scored high enough to receive an at-large bid, but from there, the team had to raise money to compete at worlds from April 26 to 29.
"Their confidence going into worlds was great, but throughout the season, we couldn't do our routine two days in a row," Williams said. "That's why we really didn't receive a paid bid."
On April 28, Insanity took the floor in Orlando, Florida, for the first round against 47 other teams from around the world. There were 11 teams total from the United States, and to make finals, teams needed to be in the top three within their country.
Insanity received a perfect score with no deductions, earning it second place and allowing it to move on to the finals.
The next day, Insanity managed to once again receive a perfect score and no deductions, to earn the title of World Champions.
"It means that basically all 24 people had to be flawless at every section of the routine," Torrez said. "They had to land all of their tumbling sequences, keep all of their fliers in the air, every single stunt had to hit and had to hit on time and with proper technique."
Williams, who was with the team during awards, was just as shocked as the kids she coaches. The only thing she remembered was falling to the floor and lots of tears.
"Winning was great, winning was our cherry on top for sure, but just seeing them succeed two days in a row, especially on that big of a platform, was really winning in our eyes," Williams said. "We actually did what we wanted to do, and just seeing their faces light up and them being so proud of themselves, was more than even the title mattered."
This coming season, Williams said Insanity will focus on gaining consistency, with many members hoping for a back-to-back title.
For Indiana Ultimate as a whole, Torrez said it's the gym's goal to continue to grow and spread news about competitive cheerleading.
"At schools, you have cuts and not everybody gets to make the team. We have a team for every age and every level," Torrez said. "It's a unique sport. It's just getting the community to understand what this new crazy phenomenon that we can offer your child here is."
Indiana Ultimate's Insanity, an all-star competitive cheer team, had 2 minutes and 30 seconds to convince judges it was worthy of the title world champions.
The team ended the routine, composed of stunts, standing and running tumbling, jump sequences and dance, with zero deductions from judges.
The 24-member team waited anxiously at awards, going up against much bigger gyms from around the world.
The moment was surreal when Indiana Ultimate was announced for first place, making it the first gym in Indiana to win at the World Cheerleading Championship.
Sara Ewing, an 18-year-old member of Insanity, remembered many of her teammates being in shock
"Most of us had been working for it our whole lives and it's one of our biggest goals," Ewing said. "Not a lot of people get to say that they're the best in the world at what they do."
Indiana Ultimate first opened its doors in 2006 in Elkhart. Eight years later, it expanded to Fort Wayne.
At both gyms, competitive cheerleading, tumbling classes, recreational cheerleading, school squad training and camps and clinics are offered.
Between the two gyms, there are about 250 competitive athletes, from ages 3 and up. However, each gym sees about 400 members total.
While the gym has competed at Worlds with other teams for the last 14 years, winning wasn't something Charity Torrez, site director of the Fort Wayne gym, expected.
"It's huge. It's something a lot of people don't expect from a little gym," Torrez said. "To be the underdog and then to all of a sudden have the world talking about you, it's a huge deal."
Although cheerleading isn't in the Olympics yet, Torrez said the skill needed for worlds would equal that of the Olympics, with most gyms taking years, if not decades, to win a championship.
Insanity, classified as a small international coed 5, is made up of 20 girls and four boys, ages ranging from 3 to 25.
Throughout the season, the team practices twice a week, and travels around the country for competitions.
In order to qualify for World Championships, the team must receive either a paid bid or an at-large bid, something coach Riley Williams said the team struggled with.
In the past, the gym has usually received a paid bid. This year in Dallas, Insanity scored high enough to receive an at-large bid, but from there, the team had to raise money to compete at worlds from April 26 to 29.
"Their confidence going into worlds was great, but throughout the season, we couldn't do our routine two days in a row," Williams said. "That's why we really didn't receive a paid bid."
On April 28, Insanity took the floor in Orlando, Florida, for the first round against 47 other teams from around the world. There were 11 teams total from the United States, and to make finals, teams needed to be in the top three within their country.
Insanity received a perfect score with no deductions, earning it second place and allowing it to move on to the finals.
The next day, Insanity managed to once again receive a perfect score and no deductions, to earn the title of World Champions.
"It means that basically all 24 people had to be flawless at every section of the routine," Torrez said. "They had to land all of their tumbling sequences, keep all of their fliers in the air, every single stunt had to hit and had to hit on time and with proper technique."
Williams, who was with the team during awards, was just as shocked as the kids she coaches. The only thing she remembered was falling to the floor and lots of tears.
"Winning was great, winning was our cherry on top for sure, but just seeing them succeed two days in a row, especially on that big of a platform, was really winning in our eyes," Williams said. "We actually did what we wanted to do, and just seeing their faces light up and them being so proud of themselves, was more than even the title mattered."
This coming season, Williams said Insanity will focus on gaining consistency, with many members hoping for a back-to-back title.
For Indiana Ultimate as a whole, Torrez said it's the gym's goal to continue to grow and spread news about competitive cheerleading.
"At schools, you have cuts and not everybody gets to make the team. We have a team for every age and every level," Torrez said. "It's a unique sport. It's just getting the community to understand what this new crazy phenomenon that we can offer your child here is."