CheerSport Australia

He is now organising a three-day clinic for his hometown, Alton, Illinois, called ‘Cheersport Australia, Alton to Australia’. 

“The event will focus on bringing cheerleaders from towns around Illinois, Missouri and Australia, to get to know each other,” Sanford said.

But it has been a challenging journey to get to this point. Before Sanford turned two, his family moved six times.

When his father left home, Sanford and his two sisters were cared for by their mother and grandmother until he was six when his mother passed away. The following year, Sanford’s father and stepmother moved the children from Missouri to Alton.

“I spent many of my early years in the principal’s office, breaking into houses, starting fights and being chased by police,” Sanford said.

Then something happened that changed his life. At age 13, he secretly started writing poetry and singing along to ‘Jackson 5’ records.

His stepmother found out and suggested he enter a writing contest, which he did, placing first.

“This small bit of success changed my outlook on life,” Sanford said. Sanford was gifted at sport and it was during basketball training that he first noticed cheerleading.

“I saw this guy tumbling and doing toe touches and I was blown away. Whenever I could, I would practice jumps and kicks and almost killed myself trying to master flips.

"In his final year of high school, he suffered a serious ankle injury. There was a possibility that he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. But Sanford wasn’t going to accept that.

“I never gave up and in two months I was back walking and teaching myself how to dance and flip,” Sanford said.

After he finished school, Sanford coached cheerleading at USCA (United States Cheerleading Association) summer camps.

“I learned a lot there and met some inspirational athletes, particularly a young lady named Renee. At night we would talk for hours about opening our own cheerleading schools some day,” he said.

After camp, Sanford earned a place at the American Musical & Dramatic Academy in New York.

“As is the way with life, it gives and it takes away in equal measure,” Sanford said.

“Before heading to the academy, I received a letter from Renee’s mother with pictures and little trinkets,” Sanford said. Tragically, Renee had lost her life in a car accident. Sanford completed his diploma in 1989, and performed across the country, including shows on Broadway. Driven by Renee’s memory and their shared dream, he approached schools to offer his help with dancers and cheerleading squads.

Dancing took him around the world and in 1997, Sanford moved to Australia. He worked with Gymnastics Australia, but it wasn’t until he met Rosemary Sims and Stephen James from Cheerleading Victoria that he said he felt reinvigorated.

“I needed mentoring at that time in and Rosemary and Steve helped me get a new perspective,” Sanford said.

In 2005, Sanford finally realised his dream by starting his own business: Cheersport Australia. Sanford and his coaches began teaching cheerleading around Brisbane.

The clinic is the next chapter in Sanford’s remarkable journey.

“I look at this as an opportunity to give back to the world that gave me so many challenges yet at the same time so many opportunities. I want to go back to Alton to run this innovative program so all kids know dreams are possible.”

SOURCE:  Australian Cheerleader Magazine, 2010