Anxious Freshman to Confident Senior Captain

Following in her mother’s footsteps, Erin Fitzhenry began cheerleading in the second grade and has been loving it ever since. Before she took on cheerleading, Erin was a gymnast and ballerina. She said that the gymnastics helped her with the flexibility aspect of cheerleading, and ballet helped her with her core, balance, and coordination.

Erin’s favorite thing about cheerleading is stunting and jumps. She enjoys stunting because it is on the more difficult side, and she enjoys a challenge. However, to her stunting is also the most rewarding part about cheer. “When you hit the stunt, your whole stunt group gets excited, and you feel accomplished because all your hard work has finally paid off,” Erin says. Jumps are also Erin’s favorite thing about cheerleading, because that’s where she feels she has the most skill; her favorite jump is a pike.

Erin started off her high school cheerleading days a nervous freshman and ended off her high school cheerleading days a confident senior captain. She said, “My friends and I were anxious walking into tryouts freshman year among so many talented cheerleaders, but now we are those talented cheerleader’s freshman look up too.” Erin enjoys joking around with her teammates, but never hesitates when it comes to putting on a serious face and taking charge when its needed. According to Erin, captains are like the coach’s aide, but they have a certain bond with their teammates that make getting through to them easier than the coaches can.

Erin and her team have a big competition coming up that is taking place in Ocean City, Maryland. Erin told me that she personally wanted to go to Maryland because she wanted the seniors to have something to remember and to take away from their high school cheerleading days at Immaculate Conception high school. According to Erin, whether they win or lose, the experience as a whole will be one no one will forget, and that is a victory within itself.