The Hawaii-All Stars won gold in two divisions — Junior Level 3 and Senior Open Coed Level 5 — during the event held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from April 21-23.
The Junior Level 3 team, known as Krush, includes kids aged 10 to 16. Krush outcompeted 90 teams in its division to earn gold.
The Senior Open Coed Level 5 team, known as HI-5, includes athletes between the ages of 13 and 21. The HI-5 team beat four other squads to win gold.
“We are Hawaii’s 1st EVER Junior Level 3 and Senior Open Coed Level 5 AllStar WORLD Champions!” the Kahului-based team wrote on Facebook.
Cheerleaders from all over the world compete in the All-Star World Championships.
The Hawaii-All Stars said on Facebook that the competition was a “whirlwind” and that they couldn’t “wait to come back next season.”
Both teams are led by head coach Keali’i Molina and assistant coach Madison Murayama.
“Being from Hawaii and traveling to these competitions in Florida is exhausting. The time changes are always a struggle,” Molina said in a press release.
“Training and prepping is never easy,” Molina added. “This season with COVID restrictions and the amount of absences (due to outside exposure) made it really hard to have normal practices. It was a difficult season on that aspect, but the athletes persevered and we did our best to make it through.”
Molina expressed his thanks to Maui community members, businesses, and the athletes’ families for supporting the Hawaii All-Stars. He said sponsors helped with travel expenses, the uniforms and competition fees.
By April 30, the Hawaii All-Stars will be back on Maui and will start to register new athletes and place athletes on teams for the upcoming season. The gym offers beginner to advanced cheerleading training.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii.