BY KATE BARBER AND ALICE O'BRIEN

Monash’s emerging cheer squad, Atlas, will compete in the FISU World University Cheerleading Championships in Croatia during August.

Despite most of its cheer squad never performing at the elite level, Atlas is relishing in the challenge to reach the top tier of cheerleading, known as level 5/6.

Atlas team member and medical student Millie Castor said the squad noticed the “big jump” between levels.

However, Castor said the girls were excited about how their marked improvement would benefit the team.

“Last year, we won a bid for an invitation to the World University Championships,” Castor said.

“I think a lot of us didn’t expect that we’d ever have this opportunity and it is really special, like even representing Monash.”

However, due to COVID-19 isolation rules, the team missed out on early development years, resulting in a gap of where they should be and where they were.

“I guess ever since COVID, there hasn’t been that development for athletes coming through,” Castor said.

“And last year a lot of the level 5/6 athletes graduated from uni.”

The team spent weeks in a development squad, working to get themselves up to the 5/6 level before the March tryouts.

Of the athletes who tried out, 17 were chosen for Atlas in the lead-up to Croatia.

“We’re training three times a week at the moment,” Castor said.

The team has two dedicated coaches – Monash business graduate Amelia Schweiger, who was member of Atlas’s world championship-winning team last year, and accomplished cheerleader Stephanie Davey.

Castor has been balancing her studies with her extreme schedule in the lead-up to the FISA World University Games, like many of her teammates.

“Setting your academic schedule early ... is what makes it doable,” Castor said.

“I couldn’t imagine going to uni without doing cheer … we’re a really close-knit group.”

Despite the chaotic nature of representing Monash internationally, the team is pumped to take on the World Games.

“Croatia will be really special and also seeing like all the different countries compete,” Castor said. “That’ll be really cool.”

The worlds will be held from August 2 to 4, 2024.

Atlas aims to get more experience cheering as a 5/6 level team through home competitions before travelling to Croatia.