After two years as a Rooster, Lara Salvestro is now a mermaid. Photo: Supplied.
Trying to switch NRL clubs may have been a drama for Lachlan Galvin and Daly Cherry-Evans, but for cheerleaders, the change is generally seamless.
Griffith dancer Lara Salvestro made waves when she launched her career with the Sydney Roosters in 2023, but this season she transitioned to become a mermaid.
“My Roosters dancing coach Robyn Parras decided to move to the Cronulla Sharks for a change and myself along with a few other girls have followed to be with Robyn,” Ms Salvestro said.
“We were all happy with the move to be together and be with our coach. I don’t think I can be with anyone else as I love her so much.
“It’s been a good move. It’s much more of a family environment; it’s positive, friendly and inclusive.”
Ms Salvestro’s timing was perfect – in April she got to travel to Perth with the Sharks when they played a home game at the 60,000-seat Optus Stadium. A few weeks later she experienced the highlight of her career.
“We went to Brisbane for Magic Round, which was unexpected and the best experience ever,” she said.
“It’s something that I’d never thought I’d be involved in, when all the clubs go to the one city to play all the matches for the whole round. We got to see all the fans of all the teams; we were the only cheerleaders who were able to travel there. The fans all wanted to take photos with us and meet us.”
Lara got to perform at Optus Stadium in Perth in April. Photo: Supplied.
The 23-year-old grew up on a farm in the small village of Warrawidgee and learnt her skills at SDS Griffith – Shannon Dance Studio. Her family are all long-suffering fans of the Parramatta Eels, who haven’t won a premiership in 39 years. This season, the Sharks sit fifth on the ladder, while the Eels are last.
“It is quite sad for them but I think they’ll slowly migrate to the Sharks,” she joked.
“I’m hoping we’ll make the semi-finals, that’ll be very exciting.”
Ms Salvestro works for the Department of Education in the Assisted School Travel Program, which helps disabled students who can’t catch normal transport get to school.
Lara won a brace of awards when at Shannon’s Dance Studio. Photo: Shannon’s Dance Studio.
She lives in Wollongong with her partner and makes the one-hour trek to Sharks Park for every home game and training.
“We train once a week; we did a really big pre-season where we learnt all our content for the year and we gather for training before home games to make sure our moves are all under control,” she said.
At the Roosters, she developed a dislike of some fans of rival club South Sydney, who used to give the cheerleaders a bit of stick. That’s a problem she doesn’t have anymore.
“Cronulla is well respected. There’s no fans that say anything rude to us, that was evident during magic round; all the other teams got on well with us, nobody looked down on us,” she said.
There are no more club switches planned for Lara as she looks to forge ahead with the Sharks and continue to break stereotypes about her profession.
“There’s a bit of a stigma; people associate cheerleading with being dumb, but I look past it, I don’t care what other people think. I’m loving this journey with my friends and doing something that not many people get to experience.”
