Roya Abdolhosini has tried her hands at many things, quite literally.
The Blackburn South university student has dabbled in gymnastics and circus acrobatics and is now a cheerleader for Victoria University’s champion cheerleading squad, the Vipers.
What makes this remarkable is the 21-year-old was born with just one leg. While she occasionally wears a prosthetic, she says: “I don’t wear it that much. Mainly it slows me down and I don’t have much patience.”
Instead, she gets around on crutches. “I’ve had them my whole life. I’m pretty handy with them.”
She is nonplussed about being one-legged. “Because I was born with it, I don’t really know any different,” she says.
Against the advice of doctors, she took up gymnastics in primary school. Abdolhosini then spent six years doing gymnastics, before taking up circus arts, after she did work experience with the Prahran-based National Institute of Circus Arts in high school.
After finishing year 12, she took up circus acrobatics. “I was doing just basic stuff on my own, just handstands and stuff. I did circus acrobatics for a few months full-time, when I was in my second year of uni.”
Rather than run away with the circus, Abdolhosini decided to stick with studying architectural engineering, but she is still involved in circus arts. Next month, together with seven friends, Abdolhosini will form part of circus troupe the Mixed Eights performing at Gasworks in Albert Park as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival.
“We’re doing anything we want to. Contortion, straps, hand-balancing, tissue work, breakdancing,” she says.
This year Abdolhosini started cheerleading after her friend and coach Natalie Commons started a cheerleading squad at Victoria University. “I thought I would try it one day, and it started from there,” Abdolhosini says.
While once an American college tradition, cheerleading is developing a following in Australia. “It is defi nitely becoming more and more popular,” she says, “Movies and TV shows like Bring It On and Glee have made it more popular.”
The Vipers only formed last year, but have already competed in the Showdown championships, one of Australia’s peak cheerleading competitions. “It felt like we were in a movie,” she says.
Next month, the team competes in the state competition against other squads, before heading to the national championships in October.
Cheerleading doesn’t just involve cheering a team on the sidelines. “We just cheer for ourselves. We’re performing in front of people. It’s like group gymnastics.”
The Vipers squad comprises up to 22 members, mostly girls. “We’re trying to recruit more guys, they’re a bit scared I think,” she says. Twice a week, the squad practices routines choreographed to music.
“Cheerleading encompasses dancing, throws, jumps, tumbling, acrobatics,” she says, and of course, human pyramids.
Having one leg doesn’t stop her from mastering the routines. “There are just a few things I can’t do, like leaps and jumps, but Natalie just adjusts the routine to suit me. It’s not a major problem.” Commons says: “It’s amazing what she is able to accomplish, but in the end we treat her just like the rest of us and she’s just part of the team.”
Each member of the squad plays a different role. When the squad practices human pyramids, Abdolhosini is top of the heap.
“In cheerleading you have to trust the people under you to balance you, whereas in hand balancing you balance yourself,” she explains, “I fi nd it really scary up there to be honest, but it is a lot of fun.”
Email a friend