2, 4, 6, 8... Who do ParaCheer appreciate?

Team England ParaCheer have chosen a Harlequin FreeStyle floor for its training sessions as it shtarts its journey to the World Championships in Florida which take place . with the glory of Rio’s spectacular Paralympics still fresh in our hearts and minds, another fantastic feat in disability performance comes as the world governing body of Cheerleading, the International Cheer Union (ICU), formally agrees to accept ParaCheer and ParaCheer Freestyle Pom as official divisions for the 2017 Cheerleading World Championships.

And as of this month the England team are proud owners of a Harlequin Freestyle vinyl performance surface, giving them a true taste of what it will feel like to dance at the all-important Championships.

Harlequin FreeStyle, as the name suggests, was initially developed for street and hip hop dance styles but it has also found favour with other artists such as the multi-award winning indigenous Australian contemporary dance group, Bangarra Dance Theatre. Harlequin FreeStyle's combination of cushioning and mottled surface made it an ideal choice for Team England Paracheer.

Rick Rodgers, one of the founders of ParaCheer, came to meet the Harlequin team and collect the flooring at their head office in Tunbridge Wells just in time the team’s first training session the following weekend.

Aaron Simmonds, Head Coach for Team England ParaCheer, commented on the relationship with Harlequin: “As a competitor myself, I understand how difficult it is training on a wooden floor and then transition to a competition floor where your turns, your leaps, your spins feel different. It’s so useful for us to now be able to experience that beforehand.”

He added: “Also for our disabled athletes to understand how it’s going to feel with the variations that we create for them, so when we go out on to the competition floor at the World Championships, it’s going to feel like home, thank you so much Harlequin!”