DUNFERMLINE cheerleaders are set to jet out to Florida today (Sunday) to compete on the world stage.

A group of 12 girls aged 12-17 from Spotlight Cheerleading will take part in The Summit, a cheerleading competition that showcases groups from all over the world which gets under way next Thursday.

The group, based in the Spotlight Studio, Unit 2 (Val-U-Blinds) at St Leonard’s Place, is run by Katie Sneddon and the team qualified for the competition, which is invite-only, after scoring highly at an event in Bournemouth last year.

Success has come quickly for Spotlight as the club were only formed in the past couple of years.

Katie told the Press: “We’re still fairly new to the cheer world so we didn’t expect something like this to happen so quick. I was over a couple of years ago to watch Team Scotland as a couple of the girls were involved there. I never expected to be returning with my own group. It’s been so amazing that all the parents have got on board and allowed us to go for it. All the kids are looking fab and are so ready for it.”

Katie said that the trip and competition should be a fantastic experience for the girls. “It’s so next level in America. The competition is nothing like what we have over here in the UK. I don’t know if the kids know what to expect, it should be a real eye-opener for them. I can’t wait for them to see the standard and how serious they take it out there, it’s a completely different ball game.”

She thanked the kids’ parents and schools for their support, adding: “It’s been hard to organise since it’s term-time. Some are just spending the minimum time out there for the competition then coming home, and some are doing a longer holiday. There’s a couple of girls who are sitting their exams out there. That was a big decision but I think the magnitude of the opportunity outweighed it. The schools have been so supportive.”