Dynamic Mother-Daughter Duo Set to Make History at Allstar World Championship in Adaptive Abilities Cheerleading

Gracie and her mom, Fay James, are on the verge of creating history. The mother-daughter duo is all set to compete at the very first international level ‘adaptive abilities’ cheerleading competition. Since the news became official, the 38-year-old Fay and her 16-year-old daughter have been in total jubilation.

The athletes will be flying to Florida in April to attend the coveted All-Star World Championship. With their team comprising fifteen such differently able athletes, this would be the first instance of such a team competing in the tournament. With the pair ready to shine all the more brightly at the tournament, let us take a quick recap of their inspiring journey so far. 

Mother-daughter breaking cheerleading barriers

Although a day of reckoning awaits the duo, their journey hasn’t been laden with rose petals. For starters, Gracie is suffering from autism, and her mom will be competing in a power wheelchair. However, despite all the struggles, both the athletes managed to overcome everything by their sheer willpower and their love for the game. To make sure that they do not lag behind at the tournament, the Bournemouth natives take the pain of commuting to Bristol on a regular basis to sharpen their skills in the training ground. 

Speaking about the tournament, Fay seems to have nothing less than a win in her mind. Fay stated that she was aiming to clinch the gold and make history by being the first one in the adaptive ability category to achieve the feat. However, irrespective of the outcome, the mother-daughter duo have already reached the history books as they would be the first ones in the world to compete under this category. Fay further elaborated on the topic by stating that there were in total, less than 5 such teams in the United Kingdom. However, she also added that the category is slowly spreading its wings in the realm of cheerleading. 

Fay was also asked about their family, to which, she replied, “A majority of us are disabled in our own way. We’ve kids from about 12, all the way up to the oldest on the team, which will I think be 38. A nice big age range, lots of different abilities.” Fay now hopes to inspire others with her tale. 

Unfortunately, a lot of hurdles await the duo in their quest for cheerleading glory. Let’s see what Fay has to say. 

Fay James talks about the hardships

Although this was a historic moment, the glitz and glamour still failed to hide the reality. Every athlete competing at the tournament is on their own financially. This means that all the uniforms, transportation, and entry fees have to be paid for by the athletes themselves. To add to the troubles, Fay’s power wheelchair is often not easily accommodated inside Uber or cabs. Thus, the 38-year-old will be compelled to get her private vehicle. 

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While asking for donations to help her meet the financial requirements, Fay said, “Unfortunately, because I have a powerchair, I’ve got to hire my own vehicle in America to get around. A lot of their Ubers and Lift cars are not accessible, so I have to have my own vehicle. So that adds on the best part of £1,000 just for that.” With the competition commencing on April 18, it will be interesting to see if Fay James can achieve her target of accumulating £1000 worth of donations. 

Essentially Sports wishes all the very best to the mother-daughter pair for the tournament! 

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