ABOUT US
Catalyst Allstars - where cheerleading and science collide! Our three directors are all science-y types, with backgrounds in psychology, biology and physics. Now working as a data analyst and spreadsheet guru, a radiation detector tester (and breaker!), and a Clinical Scientist, what better way to celebrate our love of science than by mixing it up with our love of cheerleading?
A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process.
Activate. React. Prevail.
Activate: Just as a catalyst cannot work unless it has enough energy to activate, a potential athlete must activate and be motivated to start their cheerleading journey with us.
React: Just as a catalyst must interact with what it is mixed with, our athletes and coaches must work together as a team, forming bonds, to reach their full potential.
Prevail: Just as a catalyst is not used up, and prevails long after the reaction is complete, our athletes will learn lessons, build skills and form friendships that we hope will last long beyond their time with us.
OUR CORE VALUES
Belonging
We are committed to making our home, the Hexagon, a safe space for all athletes to feel respected, cared for, appreciated and supported to be unashamedly ‘them’. Everyone needs a place to belong, a place to fit in and call a home from home. No matter race, gender identity, sexual orientation, fashion choices, other hobbies, favourite music, favourite school subject (and so on), everyone belongs at Catalyst Allstars.
In deciding to register as a Community Interest Company (CIC), we knew that we were taking on responsibilities beyond the athletes that we coach. Not only do we aim to make a difference to every athlete who walks through our doors, we are also keen to support our local community, and the cheerleading community. Whether you are a local business looking for advertising, a cheerleading or sports team supporting a charitable cause, or even just an athlete or family of ours in need of our understanding and support, however big or small, please tell us how we can make a difference and we will do our best! It doesn’t matter how we know you, how long you stay with us, or what you achieve, we hope to make your experience of cheerleading, and of Catalyst Allstars, a good one.
Making a difference
Respect
We welcome people from all walks of life, and we may not always see eye to eye, but respect is a must. We listen when others are speaking, and we are careful to use appropriate body language and words. This applies just as much outside of the gym as it does behind closed doors with each other – no one is exempt, and no one is worthy of disrespect. We respect bodies, personal space and comfort zones; we ask before we touch, we apologise if things go wrong, and we support athletes to enforce their boundaries by speaking up if they are uncomfortable.
Above all else, above the teamwork, progression of individual skills, competition success and trophies, our priority is to use our influence to produce good people. Whether it’s a seasoned athlete taking a new teammate by the hand and saying “I’m Suzie, would you like to come and warmup with me?”, or offering encouragement and support when things aren’t going quite right, kindness is at the heart of everything we do, and acts of kindness (however small) are always encouraged and acknowledged.
Kindness
Integrity
We don’t just believe in saying what’s right, we believe in doing what’s right. We lead by example, we uphold our values, we call out those who do not, and we act in the best interests of the team and our athletes. We believe in setting solid foundations, perfecting one thing before moving onto the next, building athletes who can reach their full potential and not hit a wall down the line because they never mastered the basics. We are committed to providing our athletes with safe training and progressions, preparing the body with drills and conditioning before attempting skills, and setting them up as athletes for life with the fundamentals. We will never set an athlete up to fail or feel out of their depth by placing them in a group, or on a team that they don’t have the skills or maturity for.
With the sense of belonging we create, and the respect and kindness we foster within our walls, the teamwork aspect of the sport takes quite good care of itself. We teach athletes from the moment they join us that we can’t have a full team of flyers, that everyone has a part to play, and that good team members are flexible and adaptable and ready to do whatever the team needs them to do. We value and recognise the individual strengths of our members, and we use them to build the strongest teams possible. Commitment and looking like a team are essential to the strength, and cohesion of the team, and we have high expectations when it comes to the attendance, punctuality and uniform of our competitive teams.