The 14th All-Japan Cheer Dance Championships 2014 and the 12th All-Japan Cheer Dance Championships (University Teams) were held on November 29 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Sendagawa, Tokyo.

The Garnet Girls were scheduled as the final contestant in the POM Section (University Teams). The twenty-four girls were all smiles as they performed high kicks and toe-touches (jumping into a split and touching your toes). They also displayed unwavering technique and physical strength by performing fouette turns in which the right leg is kept completely straight and raised to knee height.

The Garnet Girl showed off unbelievable individual skill, richly expressive dancing with pom-poms, and impressive teamwork. Their performance ended smoothly within the prescribed time (within 2 minutes and 30 seconds). The audience exploded into thunderous applause as the girls showed expressions of relief. Since last year’s championships, each of the girls had sacrificed so much of their time to engage in strenuous practice—all for a mere 150 seconds of perfect performance!

Due to regulations at the championship, results are not announced immediately after performances are completed. Events are held in total of eleven sections spanning high school, university and adults. Competitors must wait for all events to finish before hearing the results.

The announcement finally came at 5:25pm, after about three-and-a-half hours of waiting. “The winner is entry number 38…” Upon hearing their number being called, the Garnet Girls hugged each other in complete joy. They later learned that they had scored a 90.88, which was even higher than their winning score of 87.50 the previous year. The distance between the second-place finisher also increased to 2.38 points from 2.0 points the previous year.

“Our goal was to score 89 points,” said Maiko Nakamura (former club leader) in surprise. Two judges had given them a high score of over 90 points. Tournament official encouraged them to build further momentum from their outstanding performance.

Some of the girls had been so worried that they couldn’t stop shaking until the scores were announced. However, after hearing the final results, the girls couldn’t hold back their joy. They held up three fingers to represent their three consecutive victories, and congratulated each other on posting the unbelievable score of 90 points.

“I often danced on the very end or at the very back, but it gave me a chance to befriend younger club members,” said Nozomi Fukase (3rd year, Faculty of Law). “Our third consecutive victory was the result of a year of hard work by everyone involved.” The championships were the final event for Nozomi before she retires from the club. No matter what position she danced at, Nozomi continued to think of the team first. Every member of the club thinks the same way. The Garnet Girls have become a nearly undefeatable team by incorporating high individual skill into flawless teamwork.

The Garnet Girl’s third straight victory ties a championship record for most consecutive championships. J.F. Oberlin University posted three consecutive victories in the Cheer Dance Section starting from 2006. Winning consecutive victories in the University Team division is difficult due to change of club members each year. Under the guidance of new leader Moe Shiiki (2nd year, Faculty of Law) the new members of the Chuo University Song Leading Club will now seek to make history with their fourth consecutive championship.

More Information

■Performance Guide: POM Section

“Pom-poms are used in 80% of the performance. Features include sharp and vigorous arm motions, synchronized dancing, and visual effects using pom-poms. Scoring is conducted with an emphasis on team accuracy, uniformity and unity. Performances are expected to contain creative choreography which incorporates visual effects (formation changes, continuity, height differences).”—Explanation taken from championship pamphlet.