Interview: Clara Ribeiro Novais - Team Sweden COED

We got a really great opportunity to interview one of our amazing CHOPAR athletes. Clara is representing her country at the ICU Worlds in April. Come and read how Team Sweden prepares for their upcoming trip to Orlando. 

Name: Clara Ribeiro Novais

Age: 17 years old, born 2005.

Club & team: SOL GF Stars, coaching junior level 1 Asteroids and junior level 3 Leos.

Years of cheerleading: This is my 8th season!

I had a friend who was a cheerleader in Stars, and she taught me and my friends during recess. Eventually I learned a back walkover and then a back handspring! My two other friends did gymnastics and I went to ”tryout” but I realized that cheerleading was more my thing. My family found all the information how to get into Stars, and I think there was a line of over 1000 people to get into one of the groups for beginners. You had to be one of the first to register at the opening time to get a spot on a team. So, my dad sat in front of the computer when the register site opened and he was one of the first to register, and I got a spot on a beginner’s team! I was overjoyed.

When I first got in to it, I was 14 years old. It was the first year of the pandemic, so we ended up not going to the US because of the restrictions. I decided to not tryout for the team the year after, because I had a feeling that the pandemic would still be around the next year. However, I made it the year after, and finally got to go to the ICU world championship.

This year it was a two-day tryout, mostly consisting of stunts and tumbling showoffs and practice. We warmed up together and got to stunt with different groups to see which ones worked well. We did the same thing during the pyramids, to let everyone try some new skills and see what worked the best. Everyone then got to show their tumbling skills. Both days were pretty similar to each other.

Team Sweden coed consists of people from all around Sweden, from Malmö up to Luleå, therefore we can’t arrange practices every week. Instead, we have a camp 1 or 2 times a month, where we practice 3 hours on Friday night, 8 hours on Saturday and 5 hours on Sunday. The camps are arranged in Kolsva, the outside of Köping, where we have our gym. The team sleeps in a Campus in Köping, with small rooms that fit 4-7 people. We have collective shower rooms, and cook our dinner together in the kitchen at Campus. People have either ordered pre-made lunch on both Saturday and Sunday or made them by themselves or bought them at a local supermarket. I really like the ordered food; it is warm unlike the pastas you buy at the supermarket.

The best thing is getting the opportunity to represent Sweden in the ICU world championship, and to also get a big social network between cheerleaders from all around Sweden and the world. It is challenging to practice as many hours as we do on a weekend and having the self-awareness to take responsibility of your practice outside the camps, but also taking responsibility to rest. It is not just the physical part of being a part of the team, it is also challenging for your mental health. You will need to have discipline and respect for yourself and others on the team to have a good relationship with your team and the sport itself. We have a lot of younger people on the team that are still learning to become athletes with great mental capacity. As a team member and a person who is also still learning, we must help each other to make ourselves the best athletes we can be for the team. 

This one is so hard! I really liked being at the cultural exchange party the night before competition, but the most memorable moment is when we had our last night in the US and thanking our incredible coach Micki’s for doing such a great job with the team. It was emotional and a really sweet moment. 

I was so shocked over how big it was! However, I was so into my routine that I didn’t even think about it when we were performing. 

Probably just having a good time with my team, practicing the days before comp, cheering on the other Swedish national teams and of course: performing our routine in front of everyone!

Good luck on all the competitions this season, remember to strengthen your mental health, so you really can perform the way you always dreamt of!