CORONAVIRUS might have paused or put an end to sports seasons across the globe but it has not stopped a county cheerleading club and all of its athletes from training.

Rain Allstars is based in Musselburgh and train in the town’s sports centre.

After enjoyleisure closed all of its sports facilities on March 20 the club, which started three years ago, has not stopped and instead it has adapted its training style.

Rather than improving routines, stunts and tumbling for upcoming competitions, all of Rain’s athletes are now taking part in stretching and conditioning classes via Zoom in the comfort of their own homes.

Zoom is an app that allows video calls and meetings to be made with several people at once; a number of other cheer teams are also using this to train during lockdown.

The sessions are being held by head coach and owner of Rain Allstars Ross Barron.

He said: “With the current situation we can’t let our kids’ fitness drop and we want to keep them at their physical peak.

“With the online classes this allows myself to keep a track of flyers stretching ability and also every athlete’s physical strength.

“The classes also allow me to work with them all so we can focus on the future.”

Rain has seen two of its five competitions for the season cancelled but Jamfest Europe is still scheduled for July 20 and 21, so athletes are still keeping in shape for when they are able to return to normal training.

It is not just the athletes keeping fit – some of their parents are also joining in with the classes.

Barron added: “Zoom classes allow our kids to have a sense of normality at this time as all of a sudden having to not see friends or family can have a massive impact on their mental wellbeing as well.

“I’m so proud of all of my athletes and their parents. Some are making amazing progress.”

Those at Rain Allstars also dressed up in their uniforms and held a Zoom party on April 4, the day they were supposed to be competing in Telford.