Singleton locals Charlotte Daniel, Mikayla Dunn, Kasey McCarthy and Sarah Noble (pictured) were among the cheerleaders in the Oxygen All Stars Xenon team who competed in Palm Springs, California. 

The cheer squad won the bid to compete in Palm Springs after winning the AAS battle in July 2015. 

“We were all so excited to be going to America and it was an amazing competition,” Kasey says. 

“The competition was much bigger than the other competitions I’ve been too. The colours and lights were awesome and it was just bigger and better,” Sarah tells the Argus.

The Duel in the Desert competition was a lot tougher too, said Charlotte. 

The official cheer season finished in November 2015, however for the Singleton girls training continued over the summer in preparation for their American tour. 

Training is held three to four days a week in Maitland and the girls are very dedicated to performing to the best of their ability.  

“Our cheer training is a lot of fitness and skills training. We do tumbling and routines,” Sarah says.  

“We have to watch what we eat and drink and really look after ourselves for the competitions,” says Kasey. 

Despite being young, this was not the first overseas trip for many of the girls. Sarah and Kasey have previously competed in New Zealand while Charlotte has competed in Hong Kong. For Mikayla, Palm Springs was her first overseas experience and to place third was the cherry on top. Determined not to stay still for long, she is set to compete again in Hawaii this June. 

The Duel of the Desert, however, was a favourite for the girls, saying that it stepped up the level of cheer and was bigger and better than ever. 

“After we had competed, our coach actually got a lot of offers to have our squad choreographed,” Kasey tells the Argus.

“We got to see famous cheerleaders, but by the end of it, they wanted to get photos with us.”

Overwhelmed by their success the local talents were also able to tick some sights off of their bucket lists including Hollywood, Disneyland and training at Cali All Stars. 

The ultimate goal for the squad is to compete at Worlds which is held in Florida. 

“To get to Worlds, you need to compete at Nationals because that’s where your team can get the bid,” Charlotte says. 

For placing third the Oxygen team won a victory banner however to place in a nationwide US Cheer competition rang far more valuable. 

“Before we even went, it didn’t matter if or where we placed because getting there was already a huge achievement in itself. Just to get the bid was amazing and we got to meet all of our idols,” says Kasey. 

Huge thanks were in order for Coach Courtney, as the girls say they would have never been able to compete without her support and guidance. 

“I went on the trip with Courtney and I stayed with her the whole time. That’s the sort of coach she is. She would do anything for us,” says Sarah. 

“She is like our second Mum,” Mikayla says. 

Returning home thrilled with their performance, the girls plan to train hard for their upcoming competitions. 

Boasting plenty of potential, we hope to see the talented team compete at Worlds in the coming years.