Oxbridge students are up in arms over the pom-pom pomposity of snobs who won’t take them seriously 

The dark and pale blues of the uniforms are, at least, in keeping with Oxford and Cambridge’s finest sporting traditions.

But from the skin-tight micro-minis to the giant hair bows and perma-smiles, everything else about the Cambridge Cougars cheerleading team and their rivals, the Oxford Sirens, is likely to have the dons spluttering into their port.

Not least because cheerleading — long associated with barely-clad, tanned Barbies waving pom poms — is at the heart of a row shaking up centuries of tradition at our most elite academic institutions.

Both universities’ cheerleading teams have put aside their rivalry to push for their sport to get the same recognition as rowing, rugby and cricket.

So far, Cambridge’s coveted ‘Blues’ — the highest sporting honour — can only be awarded to female cheerleaders for exceptional athleticism and performance in national competitions.

A separate committee that governs men’s sport at the university has been reluctant to award the same to the Lycra-clad male students who also take part.

And Oxford has resisted all calls to include cheerleading in the list of sports that can get Blues at all.

Yet over the past 15 years, cheerleading has become the UK’s fastest growing sport, with more than 89,000 cheerleaders now competing in contests every year.

So what is the appeal of this All-American pastime for some of our most brilliant young minds? Here, TANITH CAREY talks to members of the Cambridge Cougars and Oxford Sirens to find out… 

The Cambridge Cougars 

It’s not about being pretty

Anastasia Blamey, 20, from West London, is in the second year of a medical degree at St John’s College.

For a long time in America cheerleading was about pretty girls looking decorative on the sidelines while the men played games. That’s very outdated. We don’t cheer for other sports. We perform our own routines.

I was a high level international gymnast during my teenage years, yet I never felt over-sexualised, even though I wore a sparkly leotard and make-up.

But it’s different with cheerleading because people don’t see it as a sport. When I moved into cheerleading, I sensed I didn’t get the same respect, which I found hard.

Because we are smiling during our routines, people don’t realise how difficult it is. The irony is they don’t realise that part of the skill is to make it look easy.

We’re high-flyers

Georgia Geekie, 20, lives in Oxford and is in year two of an Arabic and Russian degree at St John’s.

There have been times when I’ve been the only person at an event in the light blue blazer I’m allowed to wear as a Blue.

I got it in my first year for our high placings in national competitions.

I remember at one dinner, one of the older male guests asking me what I got it for and when I replied ‘cheerleading’, he said: ‘You got a Blue for that?’

He then asked if that meant I had to wear a short skirt, to which I replied: ‘Yes, but only because it allows me to move freely as an athlete.’

In some stunts, flyers get tossed as high as 18ft, which takes a huge amount of skill and strength.

Yet, even now, there’s a feeling that most Blues should be reserved for traditional sports like rugby, even though we do as much training as them. Far from being about appearance, cheerleading is about testing the limits of what the human body can do.

It’s a stress reliever

Heather Quayle, 20, from St Helen’s, Merseyside, is in the second year of studying Natural sciences at Clare College.

It’s true that when we are performing we look as far from the traditional image of a Cambridge bluestocking as it’s possible to get.

But I love how cheerleading gives me a chance to escape from a really challenging academic workload — and those eight to ten hours of training a week are a real stress reliever.

The hard thing is that cheerleading is looked down on within the university, particularly by other sportspeople. They forget we are a performance sport.

That means that, unlike rugby or rowing, we have to keep smiling through the incredibly hard work it takes to perform the tumbles and routines we do.

Because we mask how difficult it is doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be taken just as seriously.

It’s so empowering

Lily Norris, 21, from Southend, is in year three of an Education, Psychology and Learning degree at Homerton College.

I know some people think cheerleading is anti-feminist, and I’m not going to deny I like fake tan, beauty and hair.

But the fact we like to look good should not mean that our sporting achievements should be overlooked. Cheerleading makes me feel strong and empowered. People who think it’s frivolous have to look more closely at what we are actually doing, not what we look like.

You can often spot the Oxford and Cambridge teams at cheerleading competitions because we’re the ones on our laptops in the breaks trying to finish our essays. We bring the same focus to our cheerleading as we do to our academic work, if not more.

My Blue is a dream

Sammy Lappage, 20, from Crawley, Sussex, is in the third year of a psychology degree at Murray Edwards College.

I am a flyer, which means I need to be held up by my teammates and they need to grab my legs firmly, so I can hardly wear baggy trousers. At Cambridge, women can get Blues for cheerleading and I got one in my first year which allows me to wear a blue jacket to events and dinners.

When my parents heard I got a Blue, my mum was really happy as she had been cox at Oxford so she understands how prestigious it is. Getting a Blue is also a dream come true because I started cheerleading at school and used to followed U.S. teams on YouTube.

It’s for lads, too!

Henry Osborne, 20, from Wimbledon, is in his third year of a geography degree at Robinson College.

In freshers’ week, I went along to the try-outs with a female friend. At first I was hesitant because it has stereotypes of girls in short skirts.

My parents were also a bit perplexed because my older brother had been a Cambridge rower.

There is an elite status to rowing and rugby here. It’s part of the archaic nature of Cambridge that while the women cheerleaders can be awarded Blues, men can’t and that needs to change.

I think they find it hard to let go of the idea that anything other than traditional male sports should be recognised. 

The Oxford Sirens 

Barbie-like? Never!

Hannah Hayler, 24, from Guildford, Surrey, is a second year PhD student at New College.

As a Phd chemistry student — my thesis is on the behaviour of liquids in batteries — I would say I’ve sometimes had strange looks when I tell people I’m a cheerleader. I took it up at the start of my first degree at Durham and loved it so much I wanted to continue when I came to Oxford.

When I started out, people would ask: ‘Who do you shake your pom poms for?’ Even my parents thought it was about standing at the side of sports — until they saw videos of us throwing each other in the air. People may think our uniforms are a bit Barbie-like. But in gymnastics you wear a spangly leotard — and no one calls you out for that.

It’s as risky as rugby

Gaby Tyson, 25, from Salisbury, Wiltshire, is a first year psychology PhD student at Worcester College.

Before I started cheerleading to keep fit, my mum didn’t really know what it was all about.

It wasn’t until she saw me perform in a showcase at the end of my first year that she understood the attraction, though she was terrified I’d hurt myself. In fact, I did end up breaking my nose when a team member came spinning down with her elbows out, so she’s still telling me to be careful.

Even though cheerleading is seen as a bit of a girlie sport, it’s rare to get through the season without someone getting injured. We tend to see accidents as occupational hazards, like they are in other contact sports like rugby. As with other sports, cheerleading is a great way to meet people.

I sing in a choir as well

Eppie Sharp, 21, from Welwyn Garden City, Herts, is in the second year of a classics degree at Merton College.

When I came home from my first term and said I was cheerleading, my mum was surprised. I’m also a choral scholar and my choirmaster was a bit surprised when I told him I had to miss singing in Sunday Evensong to go to a cheerleading competition.

There’s still the perception of cheerleading as a sort of dumb blonde sport. Sometimes I wonder if other universities at the competitions think: ‘Oh, it’s Oxford. They’re the boring ones.’

Maybe others do the showy fake smiles better. But we make up for that by being a tight-knit, confident unit who really enjoy what we do. Cheerleading may not match the usual image of an Oxford student, but it’s a good way to show we’re more normal than people think.

It shows uni is up to date

Charlie Lamb, 18, from Widnes, Cheshire, is in her first year of studying Biology at Merton College.

I was the first person in my family to go to university, let alone Oxbridge. But in my first week I went to the Freshers’ Fair and sought out the cheerleading stand because I had experience with a local club at home.

For centuries, Oxford has been known for its more traditional public school sports. So I think the fact that cheerleading is becoming so well known here is sending a positive message that times are changing — and that Oxford is a more approachable place for people who didn’t go to private school.

It’ll always beat rowing

Charlie Smith, 24, from Bucks, is in the first year of a PhD in digital identity systems at Balliol College.

As one of only four boys on our two squads, you do get some raised eyebrows. I started cheerleading on my first degree at Durham.

I had a friend who was a cheerleader who challenged me to try out, saying she bet I couldn’t keep up. I rose to the bait and couldn’t believe how incredibly tough, but rewarding, it was.

At first I was also a rower, but I gave that up after 18 months because I found cheerleading to be just as athletic, plus it had the added mental challenge of learning routines and mastering new skills.

I have known my girlfriend since the start of university so she’s always known me as a cheerleader.

She says she finds it more interesting than if I played football.

I broke my nose once

Hattie Binny, 21, from South-West London, is in the fourth year of an engineering course at St Hugh’s College.

The great thing about cheerleading is that you don’t have to have done it before, unlike a lot of the more traditional university sports.

People are surprised to hear we have top-level teams because they think Oxford students don’t do anything but work. It can be risky. Two years ago I broke my nose when I was doing a stunt and came down on a teammate’s shoulder.

A lot of people don’t realise there are men in cheer squads, some of whom are also rowers and power lifters. They need that strength to lift up the other team members.