He’s known among the cheerleading fraternity as Dynamite Dave.
The 23-year-old from Mernda hoists fellow dancers into the air with apparent ease and astounding strength while keeping time with techno music booming from the speakers.
Dave Pizarcoff, who has Down Syndrome, was introduced to the relatively new sport of cheerleading just over two years ago.
His father, Peter, has been involved in the sport since its inception in Australia about 10 years ago and acts as MC at many of the biggest competitions.
But it was a friend, Sonia Roarty, head coach and director of Cheer Factor All Stars in Tullamarine, who suggested Dave get involved.
He began training with three girls in a team and was quickly enrolled to compete on stage for the first time in June 2012.
“The reaction from the crowd was just phenomenal,” Peter said.
“It wasn’t a feeling of pity but of inspiration.”
Dave’s efforts to succeed in every facet of life have inspired people from across the globe.
“Kids from all over the world write to him and every cheerleader in Australia knows Dynamite Dave,” Peter said.
Dave’s reputation even spread to the US, and in April he received an invitation from one of the biggest cheerleading teams in America, the Oklahoma Twisters, to perform in their highly regarded special-needs team.
So Dave and his parents will jet off to Dallas on January 23 for the biggest cheerleading competition in the world, the NCA championships. Not only does Dave cheer, he DJs, has graduated from a performing arts course at NMIT in Preston and is now looking for his first full-time job.
