Luke Ramos, of Parow North, has started a drummies squad for high school boys in the northern suburbs.
“I want my team to be an inclusive and diverse boys’ majorettes team. We welcome boys of all backgrounds, talents, and sexual orientations,” says Ramos.
“Our goal is to provide a supportive and accepting environment where every member can express themselves through the art of majorettes, free from discrimination or prejudice.
“We’ll celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and embrace the diversity that’ll make our team stronger.“
Ramos’s love for majorettes started in primary school while accompanying a family member to her practice sessions.
“Back in the day, majorettes was a female-dominated sport so boys were not allowed, but I was their biggest cheerleader at the time. So I would go with her to practice and sometimes help the girls if they needed it.
“After high school, I started adjudicating because that was the only way I could be a part of the sport at the time. I joined the Western Province Majorettes and Cheerleading Association as an adjudicator, which I did for two to three years before the Covid pandemic came, causing the sport not to operate.”
In 2022, once lockdown restrictions were lifted, Ramos started coaching. At the same time, they opened the sport up for boys to join.
“There are boys in the sport at the moment, but not as many as we want it to be, so I figured that I want to be one of those to create a path for more boys to join the sport.
“Currently with our association, we have one high school boys team in the Western Province and one primary school team.”
Ramos hopes to form a team of at least ten boys to compete in the small-teams section, especially with the Majorettes National Championships approaching.
Although there is still a long way to go, the coach is hopeful that something can come of this.
Interested parties can contact Ramos at 081 545 5004.
