Go Nanning

　　CHEERLEADERS usually cheer for sports players. But earlier this month they cheered for themselves. It was at the National All-star Cheerleading (啦啦队) Competition in Guangzhou.

　　The team from Nanning No 26 Middle School, Guangxi, became middle school group champions. They were the youngest cheerleaders there. Next year they will play for China in an international competition in the US.

　　Xu Duoduo, 15, is one of the older members of the team. She said it was teamwork that brought them victory (胜利).

　　Xu said the teams had to do all sorts of things in the competition. They made pyramids (叠罗汉), threw each other about and did jumping exercises.

　　"When we tried to lift someone up, we had to use all our strength together," said Xu. "Without teamwork, you can't do it."

　　Besides skill, you need to be bright and cheerful to do well.

　　Liang Qi, 14, is a girl who laughs a lot. She said you have to show your "best side" when cheerleading. "If you have energy and look happy and confident, people see it on your face," said Liang. "That's what cheerleading is all about – cheering people up."

　　Success doesn't come easily though. According to coach Wu Guoling, students practice every day after school from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. After that, they still have to finish homework. There's also the pressure (压力) of exams,

　　"They have to work much harder than others," said Wu. "That's why they've done so well."