But they did, and have not come down from cloud nine since.
Late last month, Eclipse Cheerleading level 2 team Luna returned from the two-day Australasian Majors on the Gold Coast after winning their age-range division, and finishing fourth overall in the division.
Head coach Grace White said she was extremely proud of the team, and "cried her eyes out" when they were handed their gold medals.
Luna entered two routines, and got perfect scores both times.
"They were completely shocked, and they did amazing — it was a pure ‘best of the best situation’," Ms White said.
All the girls had been "fizzing" with their win, and the excitement had not eased since.
Luna were the only team from the South Island to attend, but they were adopted by four North Island teams.
"It was mostly Australians, so it was good to have some Kiwi camaraderie."
More than 10,000 athletes attended the competition.
