Rally! Season 3, Issue 3: November 2023

We’re back from Gay Games Guadalajara 2023!

An impressive 122 charitable cheerleaders participated in Gay Games Guadalajara, across twelve days from Nov. 1-12, 2023, representing teams from ten different US cities. (Did you catch any cheerleaders in the @GGGDL2023 official highlight reel?)
 

The Pride Cheerleading Association perpetuates the spirit of the games, with cheerleaders welcoming athletes in colorful procession at Opening Ceremonies, performing an acrobatic and athletic routine, cheering at sports, competing in our own stunt and pom competition, and celebrating at Closing Ceremonies, all the while fundraising for local and likeminded causes. PCA’s official event photography and videography will be released very soon! In the meantime, enjoy photos and videos from @GGGDL2023 (here, here, here).
 

Charitable cheerleaders have participated at every Gay Games since the beginning in San Francisco in 1982, and have been formally fundraising at these events since Gay Games VI Sydney 2002. PCA’s primary beneficiary for GGGDL2023 was Mesón A.C. @Elmesonac is a unique, local haven offering a comprehensive response to the challenges that HIV and AIDS pose in Mexico today. Services focus on prevention, medical treatment, palliative care, and optimizing access for the most vulnerable clients: pregnant people, sex workers, and the Queer community. PCA’s secondary beneficiary was the Federation of Gay Games’ Scholarship Program, which helps reduce financial barriers for participants from highly underserved countries to experience a life-changing week of acceptance and encouragement. In the events associated with Gay Games Guadalajara 2023, cheerleaders fundraised online (collecting with crowdfunding and QR codes), and in person (collecting with our classic Spirit Buckets). Never in the history of the games have we had a fundraising total so high! Charitable cheerleaders raised a combined total, converted to US Dollars, of $19,893.75! PCA’s charitable donations to Meson and the FGG Scholarship Fund will be announced soon!

The cheerleading competition is still relatively new in the history of Gay Games and Charitable Cheerleading. The first Gay Games cheerleading competition was at Gay Games 8 in Cologne Germany in 2010. It was a well-calculated catalyst by the foundational group of cheerleaders from the few established 501(c)(3) programs at the time, but a spirited surprise to the audience who had never seen such a thing ever before! Fast forward to 2023 - Cheerleading has now earned status as a “List A” Sport (meaning it is a sport required to occur in every cycle) and, in recent games, has drawn record-breaking attendance and participation. Registration for the competition at GGGDL included 3 partner stunts, 7 group stunts, 7 pom routines, and 11 exhibition routines! November 8, 2023 was a 5+ hour day filled with CHEER at Guadalajara’s CODE Polideportivo Revolución. You can rewatch PCA’s entire live Facebook broadcast (Part 1 and Part 2), or this highlight reel captured by @GGGDL2023. Who took home the bronze, silver, and gold medals? See below! (Links to official results posted online by PCA and GGGDL.)

FACES of PCA (by Dirk Smith)

“Faces of PCA” presents the people behind the pompoms. Each video interviews a different volunCHEERleader who has come to embody the mission and values of PCA and #CharitableCheerleading. All videos are filmed, edited, and produced by the incomparable David "Dirk" Smith. Dirk has provided a platform for our cheerleaders to express how PCA has contributed to their identity, their journey, their sense of belonging, and their mental and physical fitness. Watch these personal stories and you will appreciate the tangible benefits of exercise, sport, philanthropy, and community that we’ve experienced through adult cheerleading.

November’s FACES of PCA video: Mark from the PCA Board and CHEER Seattle

Mark Hedelund (he/him) is the exiting (cry-moji!) Treasurer of the PCA Board. He is also a Co-Founder of CHEER Seattle and a former Delegate to the Federation of Gay Games. In this video, you will get to hear how connected and devoted Mark is to his local community, but this incredible person has moved mountains to advance charitable cheerleading worldwide. Mark also reminds us about his moving experiences at the Sin City Classic - you can look forward to similar experiences at Sin City Classic 2024! Jan 11-14! Registration COMING SOON!

Featured Partner - Federation of Gay Games 

Coming off the heels of one of the most memorable Gay Games in history, PCA highlights the Federation of Gay Games as its Featured Partner for November. PCA is a Full Member Organization of the Federation, with two Delegates who serve on the General Assembly and in several sports and culture committees and subcommittees. Exiting (I know! CRY-MOJI #2) PCA Board Director Colyn Fiendel-Milani, who has served as PCA’s inimitable Events Chair for his entire Board tenure, has also been a PCA Delegate to the Federation. Colyn explains, “The FGG is the organization and group of people that make sure the Games CONTINUE to happen every four years. They work to make sure each city upholds the standards of the Games. PCA is a Full Member Organization of the FGG in order to have as much creative collaboration in the future of the Games as possible! We want to be a part of the creation of each Games and not just arrive to them. As a Delegate, you get to meet wonderful humans from all over the world. Expanding your circle of LGBTQ+ professionals with different backgrounds and experiences is truly invaluable.”

PCA’s Member Teams can join the FGG, too, as Associate Members! CHEER San Francisco was an associate member of the FGG years before PCA was even a legal entity. CHEER SF and its Delegates to the FGG truly paved the way. CHEER SF’s current FGG Delegate and President of the CHEER For Life Foundation, Anthony Chavira, describes, “We support and advocate for participation with the Federation because their mission and vision aligns with the foundation on which our own cheer program is built upon… we are active members of the Federation because we believe our voice is important to the advancement and success of the Gay Games.” Anthony’s experience as an FGG Delegate is one he wants to share with everyone who will listen! “I've learned about the importance of the Federation as it relates to the advancement of the LGBTQ+ community around the world. I've experienced how a global organization functions and contributed to its development… I've collaborated with the Gay Games host city, providing them with insights and feedback so that our cheerleaders have a meaningful and rewarding experience at the Games. I've traveled around the world to attend annual meetings and best of all I've developed friendships with amazing people from around the world.”

The Gay Games and its international Federation exist to serve the needs of athletes, artists, and advocates. The mission is to promote equality for all, and in particular for LGBTQ+ people throughout the world. Learn more about member organizations, becoming a member, and the benefits of membership on the gaygames.org website.

Upcoming PCA Events

The Sin City Classic is a favorite annual event for PCA volunCHEERleaders. From a PCA events perspective, the 2024 event will be very similar to Sin City Classic 2023. Cheerleaders join for the extended weekend around the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Jan 12-14, 2024, with tons of opportunities to perform and fundraise. Friday evening’s Welcome Party (5pm, Flamingo Hotel) is an opportunity to complete any dangling registration needs, but more importantly, it is our reunion! We come together again in the spirit of cheering for charity, commingling with other athletes, and start collecting donations! Saturday is for sports! We spend a full day hopping on and off the volunCHEERing bus, cheering for other sports, and bringing smiles to the faces of countless competitors as we express our mission and purpose. Sunday, PCA hosts its own Charitable Cheerleading competition, where “fundraising first” is the motto. Re-watch the full playlist of competition and exhibition routines from SCC2023! Re-live the revelry of fundraising for and donating to our SCC2023 beneficiary, Golden Rainbow. 

If you’re PSYCHED about SIN CITY 2024, book your flight and hotel NOW! Home base for PCA will be the Flamingo Hotel. LOW ROOM ALERT! ‍Rooms at Flamingo are nearly sold out. Stay tuned to @PrideCheerleadingAssociation on FB & IG, and under the Events section on our pridecheerleading.org website. A link to register yourself for SCC2024 will be coming SOON!

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