MEMBERS of a successful cheerleading squad have hung up their pom-poms after their coach retired.

However the girls from the Jets UK cheerleading squad, based in Bracknell and Windsor, hope to convince their mentor to change her mind.

Cheerleader Laura Biddulph, from Windsor, said: "There were a lot of tears from us when we found out and it was emotional.

"We're going to have a movie night on Tuesday and try and convince her to restart."

Coralie Gaskin decided to step down as coach after the girls took part in the world championships, in Florida.

Laura said the finals were stressful but a lot of fun.

She said: "It was brilliant and to be in the biggest competition in the world was amazing.

"When you're out there you are trying everything.

"We are a lot older than most cheerleaders and our squad ranges from 22-27 years old but we gave it everything we had.

"With the help of our amazing coach Coralie and her choreography, and all of the support from our friends and family who came to America to support us, we really did go out with a bang.

"We walked off the mat knowing we gave it everything we could."

The girls finished 14th in the international open pom category of the cheerleading world championships in Florida, and Laura added it was "something we are all really proud of."

She added it had been an incredible two years since the girls came together as a group.

She said: "We have all cheered from a young age but we reformed to create a cheer dance squad.

"At first it started out as a bit of fun to get fit again but in July 2011 we went to our first competition and placed second.

"It was something we did not expect at all and we thought about taking things slightly more seriously."

The girls continued to train on Tuesdays under the watchful eye of their coach and celebrated a run of success over the past year.

Laura said: "We went to a competition in Wales in February 2012 and placed first. This gave us the encouragement to return to our original competition and fight for the bid to the world championships." The squad won the right to compete in the cheerleading world championships after winning a UK qualifier in July 2012.