Hi I'm Caroline Sephton and I 'am. the coach of the Chorley Warriors Cheerleaders. I set up the squad in 1999 after watching teams perform on Blue Peter. I decided it would be a good way to involve myself of a little bit more in school life! Now i actually have very little time to spend on school, such in the immense commitment i have to all the cheer teams. Over the years I've seen the team grow from a very humble beginnings practicing twice a week to the immense, experienced 150 member squad we have now and over the years it has been a massive learning curve for me too. Practices now run every night and late nights Monday and Tuesday and when not rehearsing for competitions and events I am usually penning routines or putting the music together. Holidays and weekends are not exempt and in reality the Warriors has effectively taken over my life!!

The team has put me through every emotion over the years! In the early stages when I was extremely inexperienced I entered competitions terrified that m1y routines weren't good enough and we would embarrass ourselves horribly. (And on several occasions we did!) Then over time we improved, the stunts got bigger and we became more impressive and I must admit I now watch performances through my fingers, biting my nails and nervously praying the stunts will stick and the team will do their best. The cheerleaders have taken me from absolute elation when everything goes to plan and all are happy to utter desperation when practices are filled with arguments, tension and frustration. As with everything in life we take the rough with the smooth but we keep on going and every year brings something new.

Our trip to America was by far our greatest achievement and was also a personal campaign. After putting the idea of competing in the States to team members I began writing hundreds of letters to local companies, filled in countless grant forms, organised coffee mornings, primary school workshops, etc and filled in risk assessments for every one of them. In addition to this there were practices every night until 9pm for all the 25 different routines ( solos, duets, cheers) we were entering. By the time we were ready to leave I was absolutely exhausted but it was all worth it. It had been my dream (as the cheerleaders were all well aware) to have our picture taken in front of a palm tree and it was one of the best moments in my life when this dream became reality.

This picture of the Warriors with their 48 trophies now stand in my hallway as my proudest moment. America was a massive effort for all cheerleaders but what struck me was how it brought out the absolute best in most of the team. During those hard months I worked my fingers to the bone but was supported by a hardcore group of about 15 cheerleaders who were behind me every step of the way. Those fund raisers were a nightmare but have given me some hilarious memories I will never forget - discovering cheerleader jumping on the buses with buckets by the traffic lights in Chorley, playing silly games at 5am in the morning on the sponsored stay-awake, watching my older cheerleaders trying to keep their patience teaching 7 year olds to prep and nothing will ever match the excitement of selling the notorious decorated Christmas tree on Chorley market for two pounds.

Of course, our America trip was only in a long line of events and performances which have filled me with absolute pride over the years and only involved a small number of my huge, immensely talented squad. Every year local groups ask me if we can come to perform at their functions and I could not agree to this without knowing the cheerleaders will do their best to attend and perform for the team. The majority of the team is so absolutely dedicated, hardworking and committed I know I do not have a worry when summer events take over nearly every weekend. Practices are long and hard and hard and cheerleaders attend (sometimes three times a week,) never complaining and always ready to work. Recently I have been most impressed by their ability to stay positive during the rain-filled summer of 2007, where they performed like drowned rats at the Lancashire Youth Games still with smiles on their faces and through the streets of Chorley at the Christmas Lights Switch -on where their enthusiasm even in the torrential freezing rain got a mention in the local paper. I love it when older pupils volunteer to help out with the younger teams and I love the respect the young people give to each other. I never fail to be impressed by the efforts of the cheerleaders who are always an absolute credit to their school.

Luckily I am also very fortunate to have a few extremely supportive friends who help me out regularly with competitions, fund raisers and anything else that drives me to distraction. In addition to the school head teacher I could not do without my friend and dance teacher Antonia Spolveriono, my fund raising helpers Christine Lucas and Cheryl Winstanley and teachers Bryony Forrest, Debbie Smith, Charlotte Farish, Adam Cree, Denise France and various others who have accompanied me on trips over the years. Without their help the cheerleaders would miss out on so many opportunities and I am so grateful for all the help I am given. P. E staff at the school are also very kind in allowing us to use the gymnasium for our practices. There are also, obviously, a large number of extremely supportive parents who do everything they can to help, notably Jeanette Moore who has helped us improve our gymnastic skills over the years.

I am most fortunate and proud to have this opportunity to work with these young people who never cease to entertain, amuse and exhaust me on a daily basis. They are truly a 'storming' squad.

Caroline