By Staff Writer Jennifer Fortman
Production by Emily Hillier & Kevin MacGregor

Q: What’s the best thing about your sport?

A: The best thing about my sport is how our team is like one big family, and I love how the team is all connected. I feel like I can go to them with anything. We are all friends but teammates at the same time so I have that connection where I can talk to them in school and outside of school.

Q: What’s the worst thing about your sport?

A: The worst part about cheerleading is how long it is. We started in the summer, and it’s about to end in March. It’s very time consuming, and it has really late practices. But I love it. It’s a great opportunity to make new friends.

Q: How far do you want to go with your sport?

A: I definitely want to cheer in college because I feel like that would be a great opportunity to make new friends and make like a show for myself because I don’t want to be that freshman that is quiet and timid and shy so I definitely want to cheer in college and just get myself out there.

Q: What’s the greatest contribution you make to the team?

A: My time [is my greatest contribution]; my time is very precious to me. At the beginning of the season, I hardly got any of sleep. I’d run on like 5 or 6 hours of sleep between homework and practices and classes. My time is most valuable to me.

Q: How have you evolved as an athlete over the years?

A: As an athlete, I think I improved on my time management. [Before], I’d just go to cheer and not tumbling. Now, I wake up, and I know I have to go to tumbling and have to hit everything. I have to make sure I have my time occupied wisely between homework, school, and cheer.

Q: What coaches or mentors have inspired you over the years?

A: Definitely my Coach Storako and Coach Twohill. They are more than just coaches to me; they are definitely mentors and leaders to me. They are people I truly look up to and want to be like when I grow up.