Just to make cheerleading even hotter
ACE IT, MOST GIRLS AT ONE point in their life longed to be a cheerleader. The high ponytail, the wide smile that can make you be aggressive?B-E aggressive?and to be completely honest, the short skirt, make it very tempting to try out for it. Well, I myself fell for it.

Another thing that makes it appealing to girls is the pompom.

What?s a cheerleader without those eye-catching extras?

But don?t be fooled. Behind the glitz and glamour is the painstaking cutting, folding, and fluffing of crepe paper or aluminum foil.

Add to that, doing flips, turns, and human pyramids without padding or helmet. In a way, cheerleading could even be harder than other sports. It is a sport?a very attractive one.

To make the job easier, Aimee Bulay and Steph Kahn, the brains behind Loud & Proud Cheer Co., have come up with custom-made pompoms. Also with them in this venture are Kriska Favis and Angela Ines.

Behind the company are former cheerleaders from De La Salle University who remain passionate about the sport, especially now that it?s being established here in the Philippines through competitions such as the National Cheerleading Championship.

Aimee says, ?We want the next generation of cheerleaders to feel they are given enough attention, by providing them the proper gear and accessories.?

With a laugh she adds, ?We just had to let our frustrations out! It was all based on experience. We asked ourselves what we wished we had in our cheerleading days.?

Their pompoms, Kriska points out, are ?a far cry from the crepe and aluminum foil that would take hours to cut and twist. Unlike those we made in college, which would look like floor scrubs after a couple of half-time performances, with proper care, our pompoms could last at least a year!?

The pompoms they offer to squads are the same as those in the United States. ?Squads can also choose a different style, material, length, handle, and color to suit them.?

As pompoms help impart individuality and identity to a squad and school, they are as important in making a statement as the uniforms cheerleaders wear, and akin to the cheers belted out, they can even boost team spirit. They make routines more interesting as each step is somehow emphasized, and definitely pump up the crowd as cheerleaders punch the air with them, loud and proud for their alma mater.

?Each school and squad strives to be different, to have its own exceptional quality. With these customized cheerleading products we offer, they would definitely stand out.?

Through their multiply site (www.loudandproudco.multiply.com), they hope to reach a wider target market, ?meaning even the provincial teams,? Aimee says. Their products are bought not only by cheerleaders but even ?parents of cheerleaders and cheerleader wannabes shop from us. Some even buy our stuff because they just find them cute,? Kriska adds.

The company sells not only pompoms but also cheer bags (?the ultimate cheer bag?), which even has a pom holder, three outer pockets for other cheer accessories, a hidden pocket inside for personal valuables like cell phones and even a shoe compartment, and megaphones, which like the cheer bag, can be custom-made for the squad.

It?s ?a one-stop shop of cheerleading necessities,? Kriska says.

By improving the accoutrements of cheerleading, Aimee says, ?cheerleaders feel more important. They are, after all, athletes also in need of the right gear and accessories.?

The group plans to make bags customized for other sports?basketball, volleyball, and football.

Even after graduating from college, these girls have a special place in their hearts for cheerleading. ?It takes great talent to become one, you must be really disciplined to endure what cheerleaders do.?

Kriska adds, ?There are many reasons one would want to be a cheerleader and be passionate about it?from the benefits of physically being fit to the bragging rights of just being one. But no matter the reason, they all must work their asses off.?

?We want to give cheerleaders products that not only would bring out their best but also ensure their safety, products that will develop their skills and talents, and of course, products that would make them look hotter!? Aimee puts it says.

Indeed the sport just got hotter.