Autism: Wales cheerleader hopes to inspire more boys

Brad is passionate about cheerleading and wants more boys involved in the sport

Being a cheerleader has helped an autistic teenager become more comfortable around people and now he wants to inspire more boys to try it.

Brad, 19, from Cardiff, was the only male member of Team Wales' advanced adaptive abilities side that won last year's world championships.

He trains daily, including weight sessions, and monthly with Wales.

However, he has struggled to convince his friends to get involved who "still think it's all about pompoms".

Brad had enjoyed boxing and hockey but after watching sister Freya in action, decided cheerleading was for him.

• How an American sport is storming British shores

• 'I wish people would realise it is a proper sport'

"People have taken the mick out of me, like [saying] cheerleading's just going around with pompoms and dancing," he said.

"But I show them a video on my phone of what I actually do and then they stutter their words, they're like 'Oh, OK, so you don't do pompoms?'"

Brad's role is far from pompoms, as he is what is known as the base - holding the flyer, or top girl, in the air during the routine, sometimes for long periods.

While being part of the team has required him to get "super strong arms", it has also helped him cope with his autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The Wales team has given Brad a sense of belonging among the members

He described being around lots of people as his "issue".

"My autism affects my day-to-day life, when I meet new people I go into a really shy mode… and it's hard to be around people."

However, cheerleading has made him comfortable around not only his teammates, but competitors from around the world.

His trip to the world championships in Orlando also gave him a desire to travel.

Teammate Libby called him "brilliant", adding: "He makes me laugh and he's a good friend to everyone on the team. Everyone gets along with him."

Brad, who is at college training to be a plumber, has already started inspiring other boys, with two others joining the Wales squad in 2023.

In 2022 Brad was the only boy - but two more have joined for 2023

It was in 2017 that SportCheer Wales created the adaptive abilities side - which brings together a mix of people with and without disabilities.

"Cheerleading is different from when I was a kid. It was just a sideline thing then in the USA, on the sideline [of sports matches], dancing, cheerleading," said coach Sabrina Steele.

"But it's gone physical and is a sport of its own.

"There's a lot to tumbling, holding flyers up in the air by their feet. They're extremely high in the air, we are throwing them, so it's has gone very far forward from when I was a cheerleader."

While becoming a cheerleading coach was a natural progression after being a professional dancer until she was 30, the 45-year-old's journey to look after the Wales team was less straightforward.

Originally from New Jersey in the United States, she met her husband on a cruise ship, who she initially thought was English.

Sabrina was confused when somebody told her he was actually Welsh, having never heard of it.

But now living in Church Village, Rhondda Cynon Taf, she said: "I'm living in Wales, my kids speak Welsh, I'm coaching the Welsh team... I'm Welsh now."

While she is passionate about getting more boys involved in the sport, she thinks there needs to be a mindset shift in a country where many think of playing rugby and football.

"In the US, boys grow up thinking about cheerleading from a young age," she said.

"Here in Wales, it's not something they think about from a young age, or something that's instilled in them. Brad is moving it forward."

• You can see the team's exploits in the world championships in Blood, Sweat and Cheer on the BBC iPlayer

• BLOOD, SWEAT AND CHEER: How will Team Wales fare in their final showdown for gold?

• FUNNY, GAY AND WELSH: Leila returns to Cardiff and prepares for her biggest gig yet