In 2004 the first Cheerleading World Championships, or Worlds, were held at the Walt Disney World resort in Florida. It was a big moment for All Star Cheer – a new sport made up of demanding group routines of coordinated tumbles and stunts, rather than supporting a sports team from the sidelines. Lucy Burns talks to Ambrel Brannon, a member of the winning Cheer Athletics senior girls' squad, about a sport that’s becoming increasingly popular around the world.

PICTURE: A cheerleader is thrown in the air (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)