Anyone who has been around the cheerleading world knows that executing a two-and-a-half-minute competition routine is no easy task. It takes strength, endurance and a whole lot of heart. Still think it sounds easy? Imagine doing it with your eyes closed or without full sight.

Team England ParaCheer's Steph Malfatti does just that. "Well I'm completely blind in my left eye, so I've got no depth perception," explained Steph Malfatti in an interview with BBC News. She can only see about the length of her arm with her right eye.

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2017 will be the first year ParaCheer teams will compete at the ICU World Championships in Orlando, FL. In ParaCheer, physically disabled and non-disabled cheerleaders compete alongside each other on the mat. The team must work alongside each other to mesh every athlete's unique challenge and talent to create a cohesive and innovative routine.

It's something amazing. We're doing something that nobody else has ever done before," Malfatti said. "It's improved me as a cheerleader and it's improved me as a person.

Steph can detect light and dark and her teammates use reflective materials to help her with direction throughout the routine. Her stunt partner Sammy wears reflective fabric on his shoulders so she can see him when dismounting from stunts. When tumbling, a teammate will hold a neon reflective flag to help her tumble in a straight line.

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ParaCheer has become my family and it is something I'm so proud to be a part of.

Watch Steph Malfatti's full story on BBC and best of luck to Team England ParaCheer as they take on the ICU World Championships!

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