KZN colours for Scottburgh majorette
Calisra Jooste will be part of the KZN team at the national competition in Gauteng next year.
Mid South Coast Crew coach, Calisra Jooste (Coach Jade), was awarded her Senior KZN Provincial Colours for Majorettes by the KwaZulu-Natal Majorette and Cheerleading Association recently.
This came after two gruelling days of trials at Forest View Primary in Kloof recently.
Participants had to learn and drill two brand new displays showcasing five disciplines, namely tall flag, double flags, mace, non-prop and baton, then perform this for a panel of judges.
Calisra will form part of the KZN team at the national competition in Gauteng next year. She is also eligible to join the national colour trials.
She started her majorettes journey in 2015, but due to moving, it was put on hold for a couple of years and kicked off again in 2018.
It has been a long wait to tryout, as she would have been eligible to tryout for KZN colours in 2020, but Covid-19 put a stop to it. She waited until 2023 before try outs were held again, but was once again prevented by Osgood-Schlatter disease in both knees.
This disease is an inflammation of the growth plate at the top of the shinbone (tibia) where the patellar tendon attaches, causing pain and swelling just below the knee joint, particularly in growing adolescents who are active in sports.
Although she has not outgrown the disease, she decided that five years was a long enough wait and gave it a go. Thankfully, her knees held, and she managed to obtain her colours.
“She has always been able to let go of anything that might be on her mind just by picking up one of the props, going outside and playing around,” said head coach and mum, Liezel Jooste.
Calisra’s favourite prop is the baton, which means she has developed great skill in this particular area and has been an asset to the province even before her colours as she was able to assist with penalty judging and skills days.
She feels a sense of family in the sport and has picked up life skills to help her navigate through life and overcome challenges.
She has also created many friendships and lifelong bonds.
Since she started coaching, Calisra has been able to have fun putting the displays together with the music, and when teaching it to others, seeing them get it right brings her tons of joy.
The Mid South Coast Crew is still recruiting. In 2026, they will be taking part in Majorettes and Performance Cheer and plan on attending the 2026 nationals to be held in Gauteng in the June/July school holidays.
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