Anyone who meets Anda Udris can tell she's truly passionate about the cheer world. She instantly fell in love with the sport as soon as she began working as medical staff for Varsity Spirit.

"The athletes have such dedication, sense of family and a unique culture. I couldn't help but want to get more involved. For graduate school, I specifically requested the cheer team, but little did I know that the team I would work with would challenge me and bring me my greatest blessings."

Anda was the athletic trainer for Oklahoma State for two years and still cherishes those relationships to this day. Her athletes exposed her to cheer outside of the US and she immediately wanted to be more involved with the international cheer world. She enjoys traveling and visiting new teams, coaches, and gyms to learn new perspectives on the sport.

"Each team has its own unique approach, and when you add a different country to that dynamic, you learn so much more than just athletic capability."

Anda Travels To Sweden

March 2017

While traveling overseas, I decided to stop and visit a Level 6 Swedish All Star team, the Dynamite Dragons. The team was extremely welcoming of an outsider visiting their practice, and I immediately recognized their discipline, sense of family and passion for cheerleading. 

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I've never experienced international cheerleading outside of the International Cheer Union (ICU) competition and The Cheerleading Worlds held in Orlando, Florida. It was a pleasure to hear up to three different languages being spoken at any given time. Swedish and Finnish were the two dominant languages, but I was shocked that all the girls spoke English.  Even their cheer was in English, which they perform during their all star competitions similar to the performances at the ICU.

Inclusion of an actual cheer and a hard floor were unique when compared to other all star teams in the United States, which predominately use spring floors. 

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No matter how far you travel, from country to country somethings always stays the same: blood, sweat, and tears go into every practice. The squad is coached by Pernilla Micksäter and Isabella Sundberg and they currently have 25 athletes on their team with ages ranging from 16 to 19 with six veterans leading the way.

Their Captains are Ida Holmström, who competed for Team Sweden in 2016, and Nathalie Westin. Both ladies have been on the team the longest and know what it takes to be a Dragon. Their captains were chosen both by the team and the coaches. They are trusted members and are greatly appreciated for what they do for the team in and outside of practice.
 
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Their leadership and the team's sense of unity shows in how these ladies carry themselves on and off the mat. Within the gym, there is a strong sense of Girl Power. Their bond and sense of togetherness emanates from them with their encouragement and sense of "we are doing this not just for the 25 girls on the mat, but for the other Dragons that have come before us and for those that will come after." Off the mat, they hold their education in high regard and they present themselves maturely as naturally beautiful women. 

Their typical season starts with summer practices and a kick off in August. During tryouts, they look for strong athletes with a positive mindset. In October, they usually attend a choreography camp instructed by American choreographers and skills camps throughout the autumn.

They also bring in an American coach each year to help perfect and develop their routines. They practice three times a week for three hours, and have skill camps multiple times each month. To stay in peak performance shape throughout the season they include a lot of conditioning into their schedules including running and a physical strength test for the whole team. 

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The Dynamite Dragons usually have only two Swedish competitions per year; Districts in March and Nationals in May. However, they aim to compete in 3-4 competitions each season including The Cheerleading Worlds and the Europeans.

This team is very goal driven and determined to perfect their craft at the most elite level of cheerleading. These amazing athletes recently placed 1st at Districts and are currently preparing to compete at Worlds, where they hope to come home with another title. Be sure to watch the Dynamite Dragons as they take the mat for the The Cheerleading Worlds in Orlando, FL.

By: Anda Udris

How To Watch

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