The Future of Cheerleading in Poland: A Chat with Anna Polatowska-Zegar & Sylwana Mazur
Give me a P-O-L-A-N-and-D! Much more than pom-poms and sideline cheers, cheerleading has expanded rapidly over the past few decades, and with it, taken the world by storm. Here, Anna Polatowska-Zegar and Sylwana Mazur discuss the sport’s development in Poland and what is on the horizon for Polish cheerleading.
A sport that originated in the United States and claims millions of participants worldwide, cheerleading combines elements of dance with gymnastics and acrobatics-related disciplines like tumbling, stunting and jumping. Cheerleading has a century-long history in America, with the sport’s different forms including school-sponsored or recreational cheerleading, professional cheer, and competitive cheerleading organised through individual clubs. Polish cheerleading, however, got its start in 1988, when Edward Krajewski and Ruta Krajewska formed the country’s first team in Warsaw.
While cheerleading’s popularity in the US remains ongoing – the world championships are held in Orlando, Florida every year – the sport’s presence abroad has exploded, particularly across Europe. In response to cheer’s growing popularity in Poland, the Polish Cheerleading Association (PCA) was founded in 2001 to unite the country’s cheerleaders under one umbrella and facilitate Poland’s eventual participation in international competitions. Further development took place in 2018 with the creation of the Polish Cheerleading Sport Association (PCSA), an association that represents cheerleading under the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport. In November 2020, these organisations signed an official agreement to ‘unify the cheerleading movement in Poland’ through mutual cooperation and development of the sport.
Cheerleading received provisional Olympic status by the International Olympic Committee in 2016 and is waiting to be officially recognised in the coming years. In preparation for its eventual rise to the biggest stage in sports, Anna Polatowska-Zegar and Sylwana Mazur of the Polish Cheerleading Sport Association spoke to Culture.pl about cheerleading’s future in Poland.
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2019 European Cheerleading Championships in Saint Petersburg, photo: press materials
Brooke Weichel (BW): How would you describe the current landscape of cheerleading in Poland and Europe as a whole?
Anna Polatowska-Zegar (APZ): In Poland, we mostly have teams from schools and they create associations so they can practise in school gyms. We also have some dance clubs but we do not have cheer clubs like in the United States, where you have your own gym and equipment.
As for Europe, I have seen the European development of cheerleading since 2005 and the level of competition is getting higher each year, which is very cool. But I also see that some countries have the same problem as we do [in Poland], that the sport is not treated as it should be. So many people are fighting battles in their own countries to get help and get cheerleading recognised. But otherwise, USA, brace yourselves – Europe is coming!
BW: I understand that the PCSA was officially ‘founded’ in March 2018 in response to a growing interest in cheerleading in Poland. Can you tell me a little more about this process and what kinds of goals the PCSA has established?
Sylwana Mazur (SM): Before the PCSA was founded, there were many teams and athletes in Poland practising in schools and participating in competitions, but cheerleading was not recognised as an official sport. So it was a big success when we finally managed to register with the Ministry – we had to work for months with the International Cheer Union (ICU) to become a member and had to prepare many different documents before this could happen.
As for goals, the most important thing is to make this sport more popular so we can create a strong cheerleading league in Poland and have good representation abroad. For example, before the pandemic, we began organising some international competitions and also published a book for athletes and coaches with all of the rules of our organisation. We also have had some teams represent Poland at the world championships in Orlando, but because of the cost to travel, it has usually only been one team in one category. In the future, the PCSA hopes to send a larger cheerleading representation to world competitions, as well as teams for disciplines like cheer hip hop and cheer jazz.
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Polish Cheer Associations join forces, photo: cheerunion.eu
BW: A new era for Polish cheerleading began last November when the PCSA and the Polish Cheerleading Association signed an agreement to ‘unify’ Poland’s cheerleading movement. Can you provide some background for this and what it means for the future of the sport in Poland?
APZ: Basically, the PCSA and the Polish Cheerleading Association [the two main organisations promoting cheerleading across Poland] talked through the last two years to find common ground on developing this sport in our country. It wasn’t easy, but in November 2020, we finally came to an agreement. This is very good for all of our athletes because they can now compete together under one organisation – we are no longer divided into the PCA and the PCSA and hopefully we’ll create something great together.
BW: In your opinion, what are some of Polish cheerleading’s greatest developments?
APZ: Cheerleading has been in Poland since 1988, so it being so old already is a big development. But our actual cheer division is only nine years old – we started it in 2012. It’s really nice to see that division develop because we started out horribly – anyone could do anything they wanted in the choreography! Now that we’ve gotten to a level where we’re going to the European and world championships it’s gotten much, much better. We are very proud of our cheer teams, even though we don’t have a lot of them.
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4th Polish Cheerleaders Championship in Kielce, May 2021, photo: Pineapple Media
BW: What are some of the biggest challenges Polish cheerleading is facing right now?
SM: Obviously, COVID-19 is changing all of our lives, so the way we practise sports has changed a lot. For the three months of 2020 that [Poland] was totally closed, there were big challenges for coaches and managers of clubs. But the PCSA tried to help – we organised meetings, showed them how to create online classes and other ways to not stop athletes’ training. Online classes really grew at the beginning but when sport became ‘half-closed, half-open’, we were able to organise our national competition with COVID-19 restrictions. It was a big effort, but was worth it because we saw that our athletes really needed to compete.
APZ: I would say that even though we are a sport registered under the Ministry, many people think cheerleading is just girls in short skirts with pom-poms on a pitch. So because cheerleading is not very recognisable, many teams have problems going on to competitions, due to funding. Lots of cheerleaders have to fund their own way or borrow funds from their parents.
Another tough thing is that we don’t have gyms or other sporting venues with cheer equipment. Right now, athletes use what they can, such as equipment that schools provide, but some teams train on mattresses or floor mats used for judo. It’s not the safest, but they do what they can to keep practising.
BW: With the prospect of cheerleading’s potential approval as an Olympic sport for 2024 or 2028, what role will the PCSA play in establishing a Polish National Team?
SM: Since our founding, we have tried to create the structure to organise a national team. Of course, we would like to see Polish cheerleading representation in the Olympic games, so the main thing would be to organise the qualifications to select athletes and coaches. We would also try to collect the funds to prepare for trips and the training process.
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Coaches and staff at 4th Polish Cheerleaders Championship in Kielce, May 2021, photo: Pineapple Media
BW: What made you fall in love with cheerleading?
APZ: To be honest, my love for cheerleading was a complete coincidence! All of my friends from my class wanted to join the new cheerleading group in our school and because I did not want to be left out, I went with them. After a year, I was the only one from my class still cheering, as the others were not into it as much – that was 25 years ago.
SM: For me, falling in love with cheerleading came in two parts. The first was in primary school – my father and I were big fans of handball and one day we had the idea to create a cheerleading team for our city’s handball team. I was a dancer, so it was easy! I did this for six years – cheering on my favourite team and making great memories with friends. I eventually stopped cheer to spend more time dancing, but many years later, I went on a trip to Orlando to watch the cheerleading world championships. The atmosphere and high level of competition made me fall in love with it all over again. Cheerleading’s culture is great – that’s why I love it.
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Cheerleaders Galaxy Team from Gdynia representing Poland at the 2018 ICU World Championships in Orlando, Florida, photo: fb.com/cheerleaders.galaxyteam
BW: Do you have a favourite memory from working in Poland’s cheer world?
SM: I remember my first coach’s meeting in Poland. We had teachers from Belarus – I was so excited to gain new knowledge, taking notes and asking what must have been a thousand questions. I was like a ‘baby in a candy shop’! I also love the memory of when my team won nationals. We ended up going to the European Cheerleading Championships in all three divisions – an amazing adventure filled with so much emotion and passion.
APZ: I can’t say that I have one favourite memory because it has been too many years. I’ve been involved in 25 of cheerleading’s 33 years in Poland so I’ve seen quite the history of the sport – but I must say that it is very great to see Polish cheerleading’s change and development over the years. I hope to see much more in the future.
BW: Where do you hope to see Polish cheerleading ten years from now?
SM: In ten years, I hope Poland has a gold medal from Orlando! But mostly I would like to have places to train – good conditions for practising, as Anna said before, are very important. In ten years, I’d like to have the same conditions as in other countries. I also think that our school league – cheerleading in primary schools and even younger – will develop much further.
BW: What do you think sets Polish cheerleading apart from the rest of the world?
SM: We are really involved, work hard, and always rise to the occasion. With this, I think cheerleading will have great success in our country.
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FISU World University Cheerleading Championship in Łódź, 2018, photo: press materials
Anna Polatowska-Zegar has been involved in cheerleading since 1996. She has coached for fifteen years with one of the Warsaw cheerleading teams, working in performance cheer, pom dance, and group stunt. She is currently a judge and translator with both the Poland Cheerleading Sport Association and the Polish Cheerleading Association. Within the PCSA, she serves as a board member and works on committees involving sports development, rules, and international communication. She is also the Vice President of the Polish Cheerleading Association and is responsible for rules and workshops. Outside of cheerleading, Anna is a physical education teacher in a high school.
Originally a dancer, Sylwana Mazur has been involved in international dance organisations since 1995. She joined the cheer world in 2015, eventually becoming a coach and a judge with the International Cheer Union. She is currently a judge with the Polish Cheerleading Sport Association and serves on the PCSA’s workshops, athlete licensing, and national team committees. Sylwana was also the coach of Poland’s national representation for the 2016 European Cheerleading Championships in Austria (performance cheer division). In addition to her committee roles, Sylwana works for the PCSA in an administrative capacity.
Interview conducted by Brooke Weichel, Jun 2021
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