SPECIAL INVITATION TO NEWHAM YOUTH: IT ONLY HAPPENS ONCE A YEAR!

It only happens once a year -- please let Newham youth know NOW is the time!

Britains best cheerleaders Newhams Ascension Eagles are holding their annual auditions. Newham youth aged 7-14 are invited to attend three workshops (September 6th, 8th, 12th) to learn and perfect tryout material, before joining returning Ascension Eagles Cheerleaders (AEC) members for the annual audition on Saturday, 13th September at Ascension Church Centre, Baxter Road, Custom House E16 3HJ. This is the only chance to join the internationally acclaimed Eagles for the 2008-09 season.

Tryouts workshops will be held on Saturday, 6th September, 1.30-4.30 at The Royal Docks Community School. The workshops on September 8th and 12th will be held at Ascension Church Centre, from 5-6.30pm for ages 7-11, and 6.30-8pm for ages 12-14. The cost for the three workshops and the audition is £8 per person. Candidates are strongly encouraged to attend all three workshops to prepare properly for the audition.

No previous experience is required, although tumbling and dance skills are beneficial. Members must make a year-long commitment to the AEC program. Twice-weekly training is mandatory; the intensive but effective AEC program means that all members progress to compete at the Regional and the National level. This season, all members will also have the opportunity to compete at the European Championships.

There are over 15,000 cheerleaders in the UK. Throughout the year, every week we get calls from people all over asking if they can join AEC, said AEC Head Coach Angela Brown. But we only accept young people once a year, and they have to live in Newham. For cheerleaders, a Newham postcode is the most coveted in the whole of the UK!

AEC Coach Natalie Baptiste said, We take novices in September and transform them into National Champions by the end of July. We expect a lot of our members, but it is a very rewarding journey along the way. The friends you make and the places you go shape you as a person and set you up to achieve even greater things in life.

Ascension Eagles have entertained over 200 million people since 1996, and have won over 300 trophies. Season highlights include performing in the Lord Mayors Show, performing at Wembley for the NFL match, the FA Cup Final and the Community Shield and sweeping the board at Nationals. In addition, at the 2008 Cheerleading World Championships, AEC Senior Coed team was ranked best outside of North America, which places Ascension Eagles in the top one per cent of cheerleading programs worldwide.

No pre-registration is required for the tryout workshops. Those who are interested should show up to The Royal Docks Community School at 1.30 on 6th September.