A work-study student in the Mastère Spécialisé® in Marketing, Design and Creation at Audencia, Eloïse Ameye leads a life that is as intense as it is inspiring. Balancing school and work, Eloïse practices cheerleading—a discipline combining acrobatics, gymnastics, and group choreography—as both a coach and an athlete. This year, she is about to embark on an exceptional adventure: competing in the European and World Cheerleading Championships. Portrait of a determined and passionate student.
You joined Audencia’s Mastère Spécialisé® in Marketing, Design and Creation this year. What is your background and what led you to this program?
I completed an integrated preparatory program in chemistry within the Fédération Gay-Lussac, which led me toward general engineering. I then joined Centrale Méditerranée engineering school in Marseille, where I graduated in September 2025.
At the end of this program, I wanted to complement my engineering profile with more creative skills. That’s what led me to Audencia’s MS® in Marketing, Design and Creation last October. This program allows me to combine my scientific background with a more versatile approach.
Alongside your studies, you practice cheerleading. How long has this sport been part of your life and how did you discover it?
I’ve only been practicing cheerleading for four years.
I’ve always been very athletic. I did rhythmic gymnastics as a teenager but stopped after moving, as there was no club nearby. I then took up basketball and later football. However, I missed the gymnastic element.
When I started engineering school, I discovered the campus pom-pom team. In the university environment, pom-pom dance and cheerleading are often mixed up. But what immediately appealed to me were the stunts — the cheerleading aspect, really. When we were looking for stunt ideas with my pom-pom team, the word that kept coming up was ‘cheerleading.’ I started researching it and, by chance, found the Marseille club, which I joined the following season.
They quickly spotted some potential in me and I progressed very fast. I was also lucky to meet a former member of the French national team, who became a friend. She supported and encouraged me a lot.
When I moved to Nantes a few months ago, I had to leave my Marseille club. I then joined the Royalty team, where I currently train.
How do you manage to balance school, your apprenticeship, and training?
It’s an extremely intense schedule. The Mastère Spécialisé® requires a lot of personal work. I’m on a work-study track, with one week at school and two weeks in a company. After my workdays, I have to make progress on my school projects.
On top of that, I train 10 and a half hours per week, including:
- 3.5 hours of cheerleading with the French national team
- 4 hours of cheerleading with my club in Nantes
- 3 hours of cross-training for physical preparation
And in addition to that, I coach cheerleading.
I coach a junior ‘All Girls’ team — 100% female — at my Nantes club. They will compete in the French Championship qualifiers on March 15, with the goal, I hope, of reaching the French Championship in Clermont-Ferrand in June.
I also committed to coaching Audencia’s pom-pom team, the Pompomdencia, at the start of 2026. When I arrived in Nantes, the team was preparing for the Grand Ouest Tournament (TGO). I was able to help them, particularly with safety and technique for lifts, but the timing was very tight before the competition. This time, I’ll support the new team from their very first training sessions, which will allow us to work more in depth.
The days are long. I have to admit I didn’t think the pace would be this intense. But passion more than makes up for it!
You will be competing for the first time in the European and World Cheerleading Championships. How did the selection process for the French national team go?
I applied as part of a group, with three other athletes from Royalty Nantes, whom I met last summer. Before moving, I had also informed the Nantes club that I intended to try out for the French national team and was open to connecting with other interested athletes. I met them in August and we immediately clicked.
To join the French national team, an ‘elite’ level is required — the highest level in the category we competed in. We worked very hard from September to early November to be ready for the selections. On my side, there was an additional challenge: I was taking on a new position within the group, a role I had never performed at such a demanding level before.
At the end of the selection process, we were thrilled to be chosen among the 30 athletes selected from several hundred participants. It was a very powerful moment and true recognition of the work we had accomplished.
How are you experiencing the preparation for such major championships?
It’s an exceptional year!
With my Nantes club, we’re preparing for two competitions: one in Lyon at the end of May, and the European Championship in Lisbon at the end of June. In Marseille, I had the opportunity to compete in French Championships. But with Royalty, it will be my first international competition.
With the French national team, we’ll fly to Orlando in April for the World Championship. It’s my first national selection, after only four years of practice. I’m one of the athletes who started late. But it shows that with hard work, you can achieve your goals. It’s an immense source of pride.
Since the French team is made up of athletes spread across the country, we send weekly training videos and attend training camps in different cities. We will also have a showcase in Paris at the beginning of April. It’s an official presentation of the team in front of an audience — a kind of competition simulation, with uniforms, makeup, and everything. It’s very intense, but incredibly rewarding.
What do these competitions represent for you?
It’s a lot of emotion and commitment.
All of this requires consistency and discipline. I try to train around ten hours per week, but it’s not always easy to keep up. Sometimes school assignments get in the way. If one athlete is sick, we miss a practice. We always try to make it up, but coordinating everyone’s schedules can be challenging.
However, the hardest part isn’t the training — it’s everything around it, especially funding. In France, cheerleaders are not recognized as high-level athletes, and everything is at our own expense (travel, hotels, flights). It represents significant costs, especially for students.
I had to look for grants and start a fundraising campaign to help finance all these expenses.
But once we’re at the championships, it will be pure joy — and the culmination of all our hard work. And hopefully, podium finishes!
If you would like to contribute to Eloïse's fund, click here.
Photo credit: Trésor Pululu