The 70-person Federation of Dance Drill, Cheerleading and Majorette Sport South Africa took to the World Championship of Majorette Sport in Agen, France, and came home beaming with pride.
Team SA arrived back home on Wednesday after they scooped 11 gold, 13 silver, and seven bronze medals at the competition which took place from July 18 - July 21.
They competed against 25 other countries.
The athletes stem from across the country, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, and Limpopo, with the youngest member being just nine-years-old.
Speaking to IOL, one of the athletes who returned full of excitement is Charlyn Olivier, 24, from Avondale in Atlantis.
Olivier is a seasoned drum majorette who started her journey at the age of 11.
She has attended many regional and national competitions, but this international competition topped it for her.
“I would say this was a really life-changing experience. Experiencing their [French] culture was so different from what we are usually used to. The culture and the pace at which the French live is much more laid back.
“The way they run their competitions is not something we have seen. We now come back to see what we can do to get our sport to this level and more developed,” she said.
After completing her schooling, Olivier continued with the majorettes, and is part of the Atlantis Senior Majorettes whic are force to be reckoned with. She is currently the chief judge for the Western Province.
While Atlantis may be a small town just outside Cape Town along the West Coast, its majorettes are top class, with six of team SA coming from the area.
While majorettes is a sport with no funding, each athlete had to come up with R44,500 for the trip, excluding the costs of visas, practice camps, and spending money.
Some of the apparel worn was sponsored by individuals involved in the sport.
“People need to know just how this sport impacts an athlete’s life. There is always an athlete that really needs this. Even me, I don’t know where I’d be without drummies. This sport brings about discipline and stability.
“People do not realise how much effort the athletes put in. It’s just the support that is lacking,” Olivier added.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
IOL