Orange Lions Roar!
One day our captain received a call. “Who is this?” – she asked in confusion. “I work for Orange Lions with Nederlandse Basketball Bond” – was the reply. Her heart dropped way below her feet! Orange Lions! The Dutch National Basketball Team! Next question she heard was: “Would you be available to cheer for us on the 27th of August during the game against Spain?” At that moment that date was in 3 weeks. Half of the girls were still on vacation and we did not train together for over two months. Our captain started asking around and…EVERYONE WAS SOOO EXCITED! “We will practice at home by video, we will learn the choreos ourselves, let’s prolong our practices to get ready!” – these were the responses of cheerleaders! So Rotterdam Cheerleaders said YES to Orange Lions! And the craziness has started!
Extra-long dance practices, hard work, learning choreos at the speed of light, and a lot of questions and corrections during classes! We made it happen! Was it worth it? Well, judge yourself! We arrived at the Topsportcentrum Almere and saw a lot of Dutch orange colors. Everything was soaked in the spirit of Orange Lions, all volunteers and staff members were full of Lions spirit and breathed with enthusiasm for their beloved team. They took such great care of us: showed us all the facilities, organized snacks and healthy dinner, and patiently explained all details of the event! We cannot say less than huge applause to all the Orange Lions and the NBB organization!
Cheering for the Dutch national basketball team.
We made it happen! Was it worth it? Well, judge yourself!
The game started! 3,000 people in the audience, VIPs, a DJ, commentators, cameras, and the paparazzi! Everything was about the Orange Lions game and support! We heard so much clapping during our dances, we screamed our lungs out for Orang Lions and we saw the happy faces of kids and adults when we threw some presents to them! We were honored to congratulate the Wheelchair Orange Lions male and female teams for their victories in the Tokyo Paralympic Games and European competitions. We were also glad to wish them the best of luck in the World Championship in Dubai in 2022 and the European Championship in Rotterdam Ahoy in 2023!
Handing out some awards to our basketball stars
When the game was over, we were sad that the Orange Lions lost but proud of the level of their play! When we were leaving Topsportcentrum Almere, people were screaming - “Look, these are cheerleaders!” and applauded and cheered for us. We were tired but happy! Thank you, Orange Lions and Nederlandse Basketball Bond, for such an opportunity and we are really looking forward to cheering for you again!
