Mindalore’s majorette fifth at World’s in Croatia

Kgomotso Modisane is reaching for the stars when it comes to performing as a majorette.

To show what she is made of, the youngster from Mindalore who attends St Catherine’s Convent in Roodepoort recently travelled to Croatia where she competed in the World Majorette Championships. There she competed against thousands of other young passionate women and girls showcasing their skills. Competing in the U15 solo majorettes category, Kgomotso impressed and placed fifth having shown exceptional flair and talent.

She further described the experience as life-changing and plans on going big in her career.

According to her, she has been training as majorette for eight years.

“I was first selected to be in the national team back in 2020, however, I didn’t get the chance to perform due to the pandemic. It was only last year that the South African Majorette and Cheerleading Association [SAMCA] contacted my mother to inform me that there would be World Championships taking place in Zagreb, Croatia and they wanted me to be part of the team that represented South Africa. At the beginning of this year, I then went for trials again and got my Protea colours for the second time. I was also selected to represent my country in Zadar, Croatia,” Modisane said.

SAMCA is a South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee-recognised Federation for Majorettes and Cheerleaders in South Africa. SAMCA is also a member of numerous International bodies associated with the sport. The federation is also a full member of the Majorette-Sport World Federation and the International Cheer Union and participates regularly at the World Championships of these International federations. Many SAMCA athletes have had the privilege of participating internationally making South Africa proud.

The organisation SAMCA was founded in the West Rand in the early 1980s and was formerly known as the West Rand Drum Majorette Association. As the sport gained regional popularity, other regions and provinces formed their own associations, which led to the formation of the South African National Drum Majorette Association in 1983. This association later became known as the South African Drum Majorette Association. In 2011, the association included cheerleaders, and today, the national body responsible for drum majorettes and cheerleading is now known as SAMCA.

For Kgomotso, placing fifth at the World’s is a fantastic result as she was also among the top-performing South Africans. However, Kgomotso insists that it was more than talent that helped her reach her goal.

“I’ve had to work incredibly hard to get where I am today. I practice from Monday to Friday after school and nearly the entire day on Saturday which is roughly 18 hours per week.”

Kgomotso added that for majorette athletes, there are two important aspects if one prepares for a competition. There’s the physical preparation and there’s mental preparation. With the physical preparation majorettes train often with their teams ensuring that every little detail of each routine is perfected.

“We strive to achieve perfection, elegance, and energy in all our routines. Before any competition, I prepare myself mentally by going through my display in my head, visualising the crowd and how to execute my movements gracefully,” Kgomotso said.

On top of being an elite majorette competitor, she has also played important roles in the majorette national team, being the junior baton captain this year.